The case in summary The GP crisis in Harstad is worsening, with 2,200 residents without a GP and a waiting time of two years. Municipal council representative for the FRP, Kristian Eilertsen, proposed this spring to open up more LIS1 places for newly qualified doctors in Harstad municipality to solve the problem. The proposal was adopted earlier this year and he now hopes the administration will follow through. Doctor on rotation at UNN in Harstad, Iver Koppen, supports the proposal, and believes that it will benefit both the municipality and newly qualified doctors. Øyvind Arntzen, head of health and coping in Harstad, however, believes that the proposal could have the opposite effect and reduce capacity in the municipality. State Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Care, Usman Ahman Mushtaq (AP), says that they are working on regulatory changes to allow hospitals and municipalities to create their own LIS1 positions. Leader of the Association of General Practitioners, Nils Kristian Klev, believes the state should finance more places if desired. Student David Karoliussen feels de-prioritized by the politicians, who he believes are only arguing about money. In one year, a further 1,400 people are without a GP in Harstad municipality, according to figures from legeforeningen.no. A total of 2,200 of the inhabitants of Harstad are now without a GP. One of these is David Karoliussen (22). David Karoliussen tells news that there is no point in applying for a GP. The waiting time for a GP in Harstad is two years. Photo: TORA JARNÆS VOLD/news – There is no point in applying. He tells news in the foyer of UIT’s campus in Harstad. – I would like to become a GP here in Harstad. It would have been much easier than the situation as it is now. But, it is simply too long to wait. When David has to see his GP, he has to drive to his home almost four hours away from Harstad. Map showing the distance between Harstad, where David lives and studies, and Andøya, where he has a GP. Photo: Maps – Then I also miss classes. With a waiting period of two years, David will have a GP once he has finished his education. Want more doctors on rotation Municipal council representative for the Progress Party in Harstad, Kristian Eilertsen, proposed this spring to open up more LIS1 places for newly qualified doctors in Harstad municipality. Kristian Eilertsen is the municipal council representative for the FRP in Harstad and this spring suggested getting more doctors on duty to the town. Now he hopes that the administration will follow up on the proposal, which became a decision. Photo: TORA JARNÆS VOLD/news He believes that more LIS1 doctors will help relieve the burden on GPs, and help solve the ever-increasing shortage of GPs. – They will help to reduce the queue. Then more people will be able to get a fixed point of contact. Therefore, in sum, it will ease the situation a little. The decision was already made in March. Eilertsen now hopes that the administration will follow up. – I hope they deliver on what the municipal council has decided on. Namely, investigating how many more specialization places we can get here in Harstad, and how this can be implemented in practice. I think it will benefit many people – In short, I think that opening more specialization places will be able to relieve the GPs a little. More places would have benefited both the municipality and us new graduates. That’s what Iver Koppen, a recent resident doctor at UNN in Harstad, says. Iver Koppen describes the search process for LIS1 as a bottleneck. – It goes without saying, he says to news. Photo: TORA JARNÆS VOOLD/news He believes that more doctors on rotation could be a smart idea, as it can both relieve the GPs, while also preventing what he describes as a bottleneck in the application process for LIS1. – When the state has allocated money for around 1,100 rotational positions and we have over 2,000 applicants per year, it goes without saying that it becomes a bottleneck. Thinks it can have the opposite effect – Not so simple, says unit leader in Health and coping in Harstad municipality, Øyvind Arntzen. He believes the proposal could have the opposite effect. Øyvind Arntzen disagrees with the municipal council representative for Frp’s proposal for more LIS1 positions in Harstad. Photo: TORA JARNÆS VOLD/news – It will reduce the burden to some extent in assistance services and in simple follow-up. But, not in the long run. Arntzen believes the proposal will rather reduce capacity in the municipality. – It just ends up with the doctors having to spend time being supervisors for the doctors on duty. Arntzen rather believes in getting more patients on the existing doctors’ lists. Large geographical differences – Everyone must have a GP. This is what State Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Care, Usman Ahman Mushtaq (AP) writes to news in an e-mail. State Secretary Usman Ahman Mushfaq (Ap) in the Ministry of Health, informs news that they are now working on implementing regulatory changes so that from next year the hospitals and municipalities can work together to create their own LIS1 positions. Photo: Ministry of Health and Care – We are currently working on implementing regulatory changes so that from next year the hospitals and municipalities can work together to create their own LIS1 position in line with local needs, within their own budgets. Mushtaq believes that we have put behind us a year with the largest national GP recruitment of all time. Nevertheless, according to the state secretary, there are large geographical differences, which are clearly shown in Harstad. – Therefore, we continue our work with undiminished energy, and expect that the number of residents without a GP will continue to fall. In addition to strengthening the basic grant, the government has strengthened the grant for doctors specializing in general medicine. – We also have reports that this has increased recruitment, he says. Thinks the state should finance it Leader of the General Practitioners’ Association, Nils Kristian Klev, thinks LIS1 places are a matter of capacity. – Not all municipalities have enough resources. Photo: Legeforeningen/Thomas Barstad Eckhoff – It is pleasing to see that the negative development in the GP scheme has reversed and that we are recruiting better than in a long time. Many municipalities have implemented their own strengthening measures in addition to the state strengthening, and fewer and fewer residents are now without a permanent doctor. That’s what the head of the Association of General Practitioners, Nils Kristian Klev, says. He emphasizes that LIS1 places are a matter of capacity. – If more LIS1 places are also desirable from the state’s side, the places should be financed. It has been opened up for the hospitals and municipalities to create more places, but then the municipality itself must bear the costs within already tight budgets. LIS1 doctors must have good guidance and supervision from a specialist who knows the special challenges a general practitioner faces. – This requires resources, which not all municipalities have. He continues. – Unfortunately, too many doctors today are left waiting to be able to carry out this service due to the lack of places. We at the General Practitioners Association are concerned with sufficient capacity for the implementation of LIS1. Feeling low priority David Karoliussen outside UIT’s campus in Harstad: – I feel low priority. Photo: TORA JARNÆS VOLD/news The message from David is nevertheless clear: He feels devalued by the politicians who only argue about money. – It feels a bit like they don’t care about us people, he says in conclusion. Published 05.11.2024, at 16.39
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