SÁÁ's (the National Centre of Addiction Medicine) director of medical services is now on leave and has announced that she is stepping down. She says the organisation's board is responsible for the situation that has arisen, while its chief executive and the clinical director at the Vík treatment centre both resigned last month.
Valgerður Rúnarsdóttir, SÁÁ's outgoing director of medical services, says the SÁÁ board has been interfering in the organisation's professional healthcare work, which is unacceptable. She says she does not feel able to carry out professional healthcare work under a new chief executive brought in from outside the organisation.
Valgerður says the departure of chief executive Ragnheiður Hulda Friðriksdóttir was opposed by everyone except the board. SÁÁ announced Ragnheiður's departure at the beginning of August and advertised the position. The application deadline is tomorrow.
Valgerður says appointing a new chief executive from outside the organisation would be a major risk in the middle of implementing a new comprehensive agreement between SÁÁ and Iceland Health Insurance, which was signed in December.
History repeating itself with new people
Þóra Björk Ingólfsdóttir confirmed to RÚV that she resigned as clinical director at the Vík treatment centre because of interference by the board in professional work.
Þóra says the model of a voluntary organisation running healthcare services has been tested to its limits, as history is repeating itself with a new group of people. She was one of eight people dismissed by SÁÁ in 2020. The board's decision prompted major conflict. Valgerður also resigned at the time and a vote of no confidence was declared in the board.
On that occasion, the dispute ended with the resignation of SÁÁ's board; Þóra and the other seven were rehired and Valgerður withdrew her resignation.
Valgerður says the current situation is very sad because SÁÁ has never been in a stronger position following the signing of the aforementioned comprehensive agreement between SÁÁ and Iceland Health Insurance.
She says she is prepared to withdraw her resignation if the board reverses its decisions.
