by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
COPENHAGEN/NUUK (Worthy News) – Greenland and Denmark have publicly rejected U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s suggestion that an American naval hospital ship be sent to the Arctic island, saying their universal healthcare system already provides free treatment to all citizens.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform that the United States was sending “a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there,” adding, “It’s on the way!!!” He published an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated image of the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen responded on social media: “That will be ‘no thanks’ from us.” He said Greenland has “a public health system where care is free for citizens,” noting that this differs from the United States, “where going to the doctor costs money.”
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told DR, Denmark’s public service broadcaster, that Greenlanders receive necessary healthcare either locally or, if specialized treatment is required, in Denmark. “It’s not as if there’s a need for a special healthcare initiative in Greenland,” which has five regional hospitals, he stressed.
The minister said Danish authorities had not been informed of any ship deployment.
HOSPITAL SHIPS DOCKED IN US STATE
The Pentagon referred questions about the operational status of the Navy’s two hospital ships — USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort — to the White House.
Publicly available information indicates both vessels are currently at a shipyard in Mobile, a port city in the southern U.S. state of Alabama, along the Gulf Coast.
Each ship can be configured for up to 1,000 hospital beds when fully activated and includes 12 operating rooms, intensive care units, radiology services, laboratories, and blood banks. They are designed to support large-scale humanitarian missions or military operations, but typically require activation before deployment.
The exchange followed an incident in which Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command evacuated a U.S. submarine crew member near Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, for urgent medical care.
The sailor was transported by helicopter to a hospital in the city.
GREENLANDERS EXPRESS FATIGUE
In Nuuk — home to roughly one-third of Greenland’s approximately 57,000 residents — public reaction appeared restrained.
One resident, under light snowfall, told journalists, “I don’t care,” while others declined to comment.
The proposal is the latest episode in tensions between Washington and Copenhagen as Trump has repeatedly said the United States should control Greenland for national security reasons.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen defended Denmark’s healthcare model, saying she was “happy to live in a country where access to healthcare is free and equal for all,” while arguing that insurance or wealth should not determine treatment.
Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, while Copenhagen retains responsibility for defense and foreign policy.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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