– I think it’s bad, says Emilie Monsen. She is in her third year of nursing studies in Haugesund. It is impossible to find a GP in the study city. That is why she has her GP in her hometown of Bergen. – It often becomes difficult. We have a lot of compulsory teaching and practice. And then it is rarely appropriate to go home to see the doctor, says Monsen. Because it requires planning when you first have to travel by bus, then by ferry, and then by bus again if you need your doctor. – Right now I have a GP in the neighboring municipality of Karmøy. Otherwise I would have had to go home. It’s 50 miles from here, says Merete Honningsvåg. She wishes there was a student GP they could go to. – It would have made things much easier, says the student. There is a health center at the University of Western Norway, Haugesund department. But no doctors work here. Photo: Rosa Irén Villalobos / news Students fear dropping out of the doctor The Norwegian Student Organization (NSO) constantly receives inquiries from students all over the country who cannot find a GP where they study. – This is a challenge in several places in the country, says manager Maika Marie Godal Dam. She fears that many students stop making doctor’s appointments when they don’t have a GP in the local area. Maika Marie Godal Dam, leader of the Norwegian Student Organization (NSO). Photo: Skjalg Bøhmer Vold – We are concerned that students will avoid going to the doctor when it becomes practically difficult, says Dam. She points out that it also costs money to travel. – We know that students do not have much financial flexibility. Laws solution Norway has long had a GP crisis, and 235,000 patients do not have a GP, figures from the Medical Association show. The government now promises to solve it. – The challenges in the scheme have developed over at least ten years, but we must take responsibility for solving them. That is why the GP scheme is our top priority in the 2023 budget, says State Secretary Ole Henrik Krat Bjørkholt (Ap). State Secretary Ole Henrik Krat Bjørkholt promises that the government will solve the GP crisis. Photo: Esten Borgos – Do they understand the fear and the reaction from the Norwegian Student Organization? – We understand that people are impatient. So are we. The GP scheme is and must be the backbone of our joint health service. At the same time, the municipalities have a duty to offer the necessary health care to everyone who lives or stays in the municipality, also to people who are not on a GP list, says Bjørkholt. In Oslo, Samskipnaden has its own permanent lawyers for the students. In Bergen and Trondheim there are agreements with various medical centres. Here there are separate lists reserved for the students. Neither Stavanger nor Haugesund (external links) have such arrangements. Take the problem seriously In Haugesund, work is being done to create an offer for the students. But for now, nothing is clear. – We take the problem seriously. Among other things, we have seen a bit of Oslo. But it is a big student town. WE cannot have one GP just for students. But we are working on the case, says health manager Tone Berntsen Steinsvåg. Health manager in Haugesund, Tone Berntsen Steinsvåg. Photo: Rosa Irén Villalobos / news She understands that the students react. – Yes, this is not a good situation, says the health manager. Students Emilie Monsen and Merete Honningsvåg have never stopped seeking health care. – I visited the emergency room, and it was completely fine. But it is better to go to a doctor who knows you, says Monsen.
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Many students cannot find a GP in the study city – have to go home to see a doctor – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
