Directorate of Health
# Directorate of Health

The Directorate of Health (Icelandic: Embætti landlæknis) is an Icelandic government agency which principal role is to promote high-quality and safe health care for the people of Iceland, health promotion, and effective disease prevention measures.

## History

The Directorate was founded on 18 March 1760 when Bjarni Pálsson was made the first Director of Health (Icelandic: Landlæknir) by a royal decree. In 2018, Alma Möller became the first woman to serves as Director.

### Directors of Health

* Bjarni Pálsson 1760–1779
* Jón Sveinsson 1780–1803
* Sveinn Pálsson 1803–1804 (acting)
* Tómas Klog 1804–1815
* Oddur Hjaltalín 1816–1820 (acting)
* Jón Thorstenssen 1820–1855
* Jón Hjaltalín 1855–1881
* Jónas Jónassen 1881–1882 (acting)
* Hans J. G. Schierbeck 1882–1895
* Jónas Jónassen 1895–1906
* Guðmundur Björnsson 1906–1931
* Vilmundur Jónsson 1931–1959
* Sigurður Sigurðsson 1960–1972
* Ólafur Ólafsson 1972–1998
* Sigurður Guðmundsson 1998–2006
* Matthías Halldórsson 2006–2007 (acting)
* Sigurður Guðmundsson 2007–2008
* Matthías Halldórsson 2008–2009
* Geir Gunnlaugsson 2010–2014
* Birgir Jakobsson 2015–2018
* Alma Möller 2018–present
