Steno Diabetes Center Faroe Islands

About Steno Diabetes Center Faroe Islands

In September 2022 the Government of the Faroe Islands (Landsstyret) and Novo Nordisk Foundation’s board approved a playbook for the establishment of Steno Diabetes Center Faroe Islands (SDCF). In that connection, the Board of the Novo Nordisk Foundation approved a grant of a total of DKK 123 million running over 10 years starting 1^st of January 2023. The grant appointed to the Landsstyre serves the purpose of establishing SDCF including strengthening the research and treatment of diabetes and other endocrine diseases.

SDCF is a fully integrated part of the Medical Center at the central hospital in Torshavn (Landssygehuset). In 2023 the center is expected to manage 600-700 individuals with diabetes and 800-900 individuals with other endocrine diseases.

Economically, SDCF is supported by both the Landsstyre and the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The Landsstyre will finance the existing activities, while the Novo Nordisk Foundation will support further development and research of these activities. Together, the two parties will support the entire Faroese population regarding the treatment of diabetes and endocrine diseases – to serve the purpose of enhancing the quality and securing better coherence of the treatment.

SDCF manages and develops initiatives within:

• Prevention and treatment – patient-centered efforts at the highest international level: SDCF will improve the current prevention and treatment efforts for children and young people, adults, and pregnant women with diabetes and other endocrine diseases. There will be a focus on preventing complications of diabetes and other endocrine diseases, but also on ensuring better quality, coherence, and coordination of the clinical patient pathways.
• Cross-sectorial collaboration – strong collaboration across sectors with a focus on patient education and prevention: SDCF will strengthen the current collaboration with the primary health sector, especially general practice, by increasing the quality of treatment and strengthening competence development for health professionals as well as by improving patient education.
• Research with a focus on knowledge-based development of patient treatment and prevention: The establishment of the SDCF strengthens the clinical development and research as well as the research infrastructure at Landssygehuset. The focus of development and research will be diabetes and other endocrine diseases. There will be a special focus on following the entire diabetes population in the Faroe Islands, and in long term also people at risk of developing diabetes. In research, the focus will be on introducing the principles of Precision Medicine.

The center will highly prioritize quality development and monitoring of the entire diabetes population – both for the individuals who are treated at Landssygehuset and likewise for the individuals treated by their general practitioner.

To accommodate the high level of ambitions for SDCF, the center will focus on competence development of health care professionals and education of patients and their relatives.