{"id":46832,"date":"2026-02-23T11:37:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T19:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=46832"},"modified":"2026-02-23T11:37:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T19:37:39","slug":"trump-pledges-hospital-boat-for-greenland-which-unlike-us-has-free-and-equal-access-to-health-for-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/02\/23\/trump-pledges-hospital-boat-for-greenland-which-unlike-us-has-free-and-equal-access-to-health-for-all\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Pledges Hospital Boat for Greenland\u2014Which, Unlike US, Has \u2018Free and Equal Access to Health for All\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"illustration<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

President Donald Trump said he would send a US military \u201chospital boat\u201d to Greenland in a social media post on February 21, 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Illustration from President Donald Trump\/Truth Social)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt will be a no thanks from here,\u201d said the Greenlandic prime minister. \u201cWe have a public health service where treatment is free for citizens… It is not like that in the USA, where it costs money to go to the doctor.\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jessica Corbett<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feb 22, 2026 (CommonDream.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortly after the Danish military evacuated<\/a> a crew member of a US submarine off the Greenlandic coast for urgent medical care on Saturday, President Donald Trump<\/a> pledged to send a \u201chospital boat\u201d to the self-governing Danish territory\u2014but officials from Greenland<\/a> and Denmark<\/a> declared it unnecessary, given the island\u2019s publicly funded universal healthcare<\/a> system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWorking with the fantastic Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, we are going to send a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there. It\u2019s on the way!!!\u201d said Trump, who in December named<\/a> the Republican governor as his envoy to Greenland while threatening to take over the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RECOMMENDED…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Greenland<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Experts Warn of \u2018Disastrous\u2019 Climate Impacts If Trump Seizes Control of Greenland<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Immigration<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

US Military Helping Trump to Build Massive Network of \u2018Concentration Camps,\u2019 Navy Contract Reveals<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Trump has called the fossil fuel-driven climate emergency<\/a> a \u201ccon,\u201d but global warming<\/a> is opening up<\/a> potential shipping routes and access to natural resources in and around Greenland. He has claimed<\/a> that if he doesn\u2019t seize the island, China or Russia will do so\u2014though last month he announced<\/a> a \u201cframework of a future deal\u201d for security, temporarily easing fears of a US invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his Truth Social post late Saturday, Trump shared an illustration of a Navy hospital ship, the USNS Mercy<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs of late January, the 1,000-bed hospital ship was firmly in drydock at Alabama Shipyard in Mobile, where it has been undergoing scheduled maintenance since July 2025,\u201d according to<\/a> the maritime industry news website gC<\/em>aptain<\/em>. \u201cThe USNS Mercy<\/em>, commissioned in 1986, departed San Diego last July for a one-year scheduled maintenance period at Alabama Shipyard under an $18.7 million firm-fixed-price contract for a 153-calendar day mid-term availability, including drydocking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responding to the US leader on social media<\/a> Sunday, Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said: \u201cIt will be a no thanks from here. President Trump\u2019s idea of sending an American hospital ship here to Greenland has been noted. But we have a public health<\/a> service where treatment is free for citizens. It is a conscious choice. And a fundamental part of our society.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is not like that in the USA, where it costs money to go to the doctor,\u201d he added. \u201cWe are always open to dialogue and cooperation.\u00a0Also with the USA.\u00a0But now talk to us instead of just making more or less random outbursts on social media. Dialogue and cooperation require respect for decisions about our country being made here at home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

X post: https:\/\/x.com\/DarrigoMelanie\/status\/2025394261437386851?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2025394261437386851%7Ctwgr%5E7a6bebaf366794efe86b409b9814d1cb6938d475%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2Fgreenland-healthcare<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen somewhat indirectly pushed back against Trump with a social media post, saying<\/a> that she is \u201chappy to live in a country where there is free and equal access to health for all. Where it\u2019s not insurances and wealth that determine whether you get proper treatment. You have the same approach in Greenland. Happy Sunday to you all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Denmark\u2019s defense minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, similarly told<\/a> Danish broadcaster DR<\/em>: \u201cThe Greenlandic population receives the healthcare it needs. They receive it either in Greenland, or, if they require specialized treatment, they receive it in Denmark.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not as if there\u2019s a need for a special healthcare initiative in Greenland,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers website states<\/a> that in \u201ca number of services are provided, which are free at point of use to everyone with permanent residence in Greenland. If a doctor has prescribed treatment, and the service is not available nearby, you have the right to have the transport covered to the nearest hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The site also notes that island\u2019s health service is \u201cchallenged by a shortage of staff, particularly in the most sparsely populated areas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aaja Chemnitz, one of the two Greenlandic politicians in the Danish Parliament, said on social media: \u201cAnother day. Another crazy news story. Donald Trump<\/a> wants to send a poorly maintained hospital ship to Greenland. It seems rather desperate and does not contribute to the permanent and sustainable strengthening of the healthcare system that we need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince the last election, where I campaigned for closer healthcare cooperation… we have succeeded in allocating DKK 35 million annually, and this year an additional DKK 185 million, for treatment of Greenlanders in Denmark,\u201d she continued. Those figures in US dollars are roughly $5.5 million and $29 million, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chemnitz added:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

I believe there is one thing we are missing in our understanding of health and welfare in Greenland. We should have equal access to doctors, cancer treatment pathways, and healthcare assistance like those available in Denmark. Our healthcare system is deeply challenged\u2014more so than what is seen in Denmark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And this is best solved together with Denmark, as one of the richest and most highly educated countries, for example in the healthcare sector. Not the United States<\/a>, which has its own problems with healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This requires closer and more committed efforts from Denmark in the field of healthcare in Greenland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More doctors from the Danish regions taking a turn in Greenland. Faster access to treatment in Denmark. And a crystal-clear prioritization of children<\/a> and young people, cancer and heart diseases, and a significant improvement in psychiatry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is Denmark ready for that?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The United States has often ranked<\/a> dead last among peer nations on metrics such as access to care and health outcomes, fueling Americans\u2019 demands for a transition from the current for-profit healthcare system to one that is publicly funded and universal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Massive cuts to the social safety net in the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by Trump last July and federal\u00a0Republicans<\/a>\u2019 failure to extend\u00a0Affordable Care Act<\/a>\u00a0subsidies that helped tens of millions of people afford health insurance premiums\u2014before they expired at the end of December\u2014have further\u00a0fueled<\/a>\u00a0calls for\u00a0Medicare for All<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jessica Corbett<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jessica Corbett is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full Bio ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump said he would send a US military \u201chospital boat\u201d to Greenland in a social media post on February 21, 2026.  (Illustration from President Donald Trump\/Truth Social) \u201cIt will be a no thanks from here,\u201d said the Greenlandic prime minister. \u201cWe have a public health service where treatment… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46832"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46832"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46832\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46833,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46832\/revisions\/46833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}