ABSTRACT
In Denmark health care is considered a public responsibility. Virtually all health care services are financed, planned and operated by public authorities. The responsibility for health care services is distributed among the three administrative levels in Denmark: national, regional and local. The authorities of these three levels cooperate closely to ensure a coherent health care system. The Patients' Complaints Board is an independent body composed of lawyers and nonprofessionals as well as health personnel. Danish hospital physicians are full-time, salaried staff members. Hospital treatment is free of charge to people resident in Denmark. Through taxation, the Danish welfare model ensures a reasonable distribution of the nation's wealth among all social groups. The Ministry of Social Affairs has increasingly cooperated with and funded voluntary social agencies, whose work in complementing professional approaches, has produced positive results. The Ministry of Social Affairs subsidises innovative practices and activities from earmarked funding.
