Education
& Health Care Systems In Iceland
 Education
At 99.9%, Iceland has one of
the highest Literacy rates in the world. Perhaps
due in part to the important contributions Iceland
has made to the world of literature since medieval
times and subsequent love of literature, literacy
has been universal in Iceland since the end of the
eighteenth century. In 1907 school attendance was
made obligatory for all children aged 10-14 and
before the age of ten, children were generally
taught at home. In 1946 compulsory school
attendance was extended, and at present it covers
the ages between seven and 16. Those who wish to
continue their education past the age of 16 either
go to various specialized schools or to secondary
schools.
 Academic education in the full sense did not
begin in Iceland until 1847 with the formation of
a Theological Seminary. It was followed in 1876 by
a Medical School and in 1908 by a School of Law.
These three institutions were merged into one in
1911 when the University of Iceland was
established. Later, a fourth Faculty of Philosophy
was added, primarily dealing with Icelandic
philology, history and literature. The
university’s main building was opened in 1940.
Health
Life expectancy, at 82.7 years for women and 78.2
for men, is one of the highest in the world.
Infant  mortality, coincidentally, is
also one of the
lowest in the world at an average of 2.8 deaths
per 1000 live births. All inhabitants of Iceland
have the right of access to the best possible
health service at any given time for the
protection of their mental, social and physical
health. The law ensures that there is no
discrimination against patients on the grounds of
sex, religion, beliefs, nationality, race, skin
color, financial status, family relations or
status in other respect.
The health service in Iceland is primarily
financed by central government. Financing is
mainly based on 85% taxes and 15% service fee.
The country is divided into health care regions,
each with their own primary health care centres,
some of which are run jointly with the local
community hospital. The primary health care
centres have the responsibility for general
treatment and care, examination, home nursing as
well as preventive measures such as family
planning, maternity care and child health care and
school health care.
Hospitals in Iceland may be ranked as specialized
teaching hospitals, general hospitals and
community hospitals. Hospitalization is free of
charge. The specialized hospitals perform most
operations and procedures in all specialist
medical fields. The health service is staffed by
trained and qualified professional groups.
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