In the days before 12 March 2020, former health minister Bent Høie had doubts about whether Bjørn Guldvog was the right man to lead the Directorate of Health. “I thought that Guldvog was a good leader of the Directorate of Health, but had long been worried about whether he was strong enough to lead in a crisis like this”, writes Høie in his new book “Uro i koronaens tid”, which will be launched next week. The government had given Guldvog powers under the Infection Control Act to handle the corona outbreak. But in early March 2020, Høie thought that things were going too slowly. – I experienced that the directorate that had been given the authority did not fully take it, and then they were in a situation where they had to deal with FHI as the professional advisory unit. When they disagreed, I understand it was difficult, says Høie to news. – I felt that it was too late and that sufficient measures were not taken in the days leading up to 12 March. Then I wondered if Bjørn Guldvog was the right person to lead this, he says. According to Høie, it culminated in an intense meeting in the Ministry of Health on the morning of Monday 9 March. Both FHI director Camilla Stoltenberg and Guldvog were called to the meeting after conflicting messages from FHI and the Directorate of Health in the media over the weekend. “My summary was merciless. I said that the disagreements between them delayed the operation to prevent the infection from spreading in the country”, writes Høie. Asking the ministerial council to take over the meeting on 9 March did not help Høie’s concern, and he now felt that Norway was starting to have a seriously bad time to avoid a contagion like in Italy. He turned to his powerful ministerial advisor Bjørn-Inge Larsen: – After the meeting I had the same concern. Then I brought up with him who was my ministerial advisor and who had previously been director of health that he took over Bjørn’s role. But the proposal to replace Guldvog did not go down well with Bjørn-Inge Larsen, who Høie writes was “completely white in the face” at the proposal. WHITE IN THE FACE: Ministerial Councilor Bjørn-Inge Larsen was, according to Høie, not enthusiastic about the proposal to take over the management of the Directorate of Health. Photo: Øyvind Bye Skille / news – He turned pale, and for those who know him, they know that he is tanned most of the year. – It was clear to me that he did not think it was a good idea, and he had another solution which was to strengthen the team around Bjørn, says Høie. According to Høie, the solution was to put new people into the Directorate of Health’s management. Geir Stene-Larsen was brought to the directorate’s management team because he had a background as a former FHI director. Espen Rostrup Nakstad from the CBRNE center at Ullevål Hospital was also discussed, and Herlof Nilssen from Helse Vest was brought in to assist in the procurement of infection control equipment. In retrospect, Høie is happy that this solution was chosen: – I am very happy today that I was not stubborn as I can often be, and listened to it. It turned out to be a much better solution, and I now see in retrospect that my proposal was incredibly stupid. – Did you feel that Guldvog was not strong enough to stand up to FHI? – That was my concern. That he had an authority which was very great, which the government had given him, and he was not strong enough to cut through at that time. – But Guldvog still sits as director of health, and you now say that you had great doubts as to whether he was the right person for the job. Isn’t it a bit unfair to tell that to someone who is still in the position? – It would have been if I had written that I still meant it, but I don’t. On the contrary, I write that this was wrong and I was satisfied with the work Bjørn did. He has grown a lot with the task. – I also say in the book that when we were looking for a new ministerial council, Bjørn was on my list of people I thought you should talk to. So it shows that I have completely changed my view, and I think it can be a strength in the job he will be doing. news has been in contact with Bjørn-Inge Larsen, who does not wish to comment on the matter. EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS: Director of Health Bjørn Guldvog points out that Høie also praises him in the book. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news Guldvog: – Performed above expectations Director of Health Bjørn Guldvog has been presented with the information in the book, but does not wish to be interviewed. In an e-mail sent via his information department, he emphasizes that Høie also praises him in the book: “I have not read the book, but I take it with me that Bent Høie concludes that I performed above expectations. It always feels good. I share the assessment that the management in the Norwegian Directorate of Health needed to be strengthened in the situation we were facing. Furthermore, I refer to the Corona Commission’s report, which states that the epidemic was handled in a satisfactory manner.” In a flannel shirt from the cabin in Stavtjørn, Bent Høie closed the wine monopoly in the east country. A zero point according to himself. Photo: news’s news broadcast 23.01.2021 / news Closed the pole from the cabin – feared collapse Outwardly, Bent Høie appeared largely calm and composed. But in the winter of 2021, he himself feared being on sick leave or having to resign because he could no longer cope with the pressure. When he went to the cabin, things went from bad to worse. The first Norwegian vaccine dose had been set a few weeks ago, but now there was trouble with the deliveries. The British variant of the virus spread in Nordre Follo, and the government tried to suppress the outbreak by introducing a complicated ring system that few understood. In addition, Høie was tired after almost a year of intense work in all the waking hours of the day. In the latter half of January 2021, Høie had planned a weekend at the cabin in Stavtjørn in Bjerkreim outside Stavanger with her husband. The plan was to catch up. Instead, the British virus variant exploded in Nordre Follo. From the cabin, Høie announced that Vinmonopolet was to be closed in the outbreak municipalities. At the same time as Prime Minister Erna Solberg asked people in the affected areas not to travel to the cabin, Høie sat and held a press conference via Teams wearing a flannel shirt – in the cabin. – The starting point was the famous press conference I held from the cabin. Then I experienced that many things were going in the wrong direction at the same time. I was very tired, says Høie. METEREN: Høie eventually became well known for his ruler. Here he practices showing how long a meter is behind the desk in the office. Photo: Erlend Svardal Bøe / Ministry of Health and Welfare – Afraid that I wouldn’t be able to make it That weekend he realized himself that this was no longer possible. – The sum of it made me realize that I was afraid that I wouldn’t make it. That I would end up in a situation that many of my colleagues in Europe and internationally ended up in, that they had to resign or be on sick leave because they couldn’t handle the pressure. – You were afraid it would happen to you? – I was afraid it would happen to me. I knew it wouldn’t happen overnight. I was afraid that I would start forgetting things. – That I would become inattentive and like to behave in a way around my colleagues that meant that it would not work, because that would often be the start of such a situation. That would be very unfortunate. According to Høie, the solution was to replace a state secretary to give Saliba Andreas Korkunc a place in that role. Korkunc relieved Høie, among other things, by appearing in the media at weekends. – Fortunately, I caught this myself before I crossed the border. When Saliba arrived, I got the relief that was absolutely necessary. – With his work capacity and our way of working together, I quickly got my strength back and was able to take the time-outs I needed, says Høie.
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Høie wanted to fire Guldvog three days before Norway shut down – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
