In August, Minister for Health Sophie Løhde announced that she will strengthen the focus on core tasks, case handling and the development of the health area by establishing four new agencies under the Danish Ministry of Health: The Danish Health Authority, the Danish Patient Safety Authority, the Danish Health Data Authority and the Danish Medicines Agency.
Simultaneously with the announcement of the new organisation, four vacant Director General positions were advertised, and three of the positions have now been filled. Søren Brostrøm is the new Director General of the Danish Health Authority and Anne-Marie Vangsted is the new Director General of the Danish Patient Safety Authority; they will take up their new positions today. On 1 November, Lisbeth Nielsen will take up the position as Director General of the Danish Health Data Authority.
Minister for Health Sophie Løhde is pleased with the recruitment of the new Director Generals who will develop and influence the new agencies and the health service in the coming years:
”I am very satisfied that we have appointed strong and experienced persons who will contribute to improving and structuring the many exciting tasks to be carried out by the agencies. Søren Brostrøm is quite a force within the hospital area that he has contributed to developing in recent years, and Anne-Marie Vangsted is already working on innovating the supervision of healthcare professionals and the health service. When Lisbeth Nielsen takes up the position in the Danish Health Data Authority, we can speed up the work with health data and health information technology, areas in which Denmark holds a unique position”, says Sophie Løhde.
With the appointment of three new Director Generals, we still have to fill the vacant position as Director General of the Danish Medicines Agency before the new team of Director Generals is in place under the Danish Ministry of Health.
The position as Director General of the new Danish Medicines Agency will be readvertised to reach a wider range of candidates. The Danish Medicines Agency will be set up as from today, on 8 October, with Jakob Cold as the Acting Director General. In future, Jakob Cold will be Deputy Director General of the Danish Medicines Agency.
About the new Director Generals
Søren Brostrøm, who will head the new Danish Health Authority, was previously Head of Division in the Danish Health Authority and responsible for the hospital area and health preparedness. He is 50 years old and holds an MD from the University of Copenhagen. Søren Brostrøm is a specialist in gynaecology and obstetrics and has more than 15 years experience from the Danish hospital service. He will take up the position today, on 8 October, and the new Danish Health Authority will be established as from today.
Anne-Marie Vangsted will be establishing and developing the new Danish Patient Safety Authority, which is formed through the merger of the National Agency for Patients’ Rights and Complaints and the supervisory functions of the Danish Health Authority. She was previously Deputy Director General of the Danish Health Authority and has 25 years experience from the ministry’s areas of responsibility, 17 years as a manager. Anne-Marie Vangsted is 54 years old and holds a degree in pharmacy. She will take up the position today, on 8 October, when the new Danish Patient Safety Authority will also be set up. Steffen Egesborg Hansen, present Director General of the National Agency for Patients’ Rights and Complaints, will be the new Deputy Director General of the new Danish Patient Safety Authority.
Lisbeth Nielsen is the new Director General of the Danish Health Data Authority. She is 45 years old, comes from a managerial position at Nordsjællands Hospital and also has management experience from IBM and Danish Regions. Lisbeth Nielsen has been working with health information technology and quality development throughout most of her career. Lisbeth Nielsen takes up the position on 1 November when the new Danish Health Data Authority will be established. Flemming Christiansen will be the new Deputy Directory General. He is presently Executive Vice President of the part of the Danish State Serum Institute that will become the new Danish Health Data Authority.