A little over a month ago, Storting representative Cecilie Myrseth (Ap) launched a bill to severely tighten private healthcare services. Today, the National Assembly of the Labor Party will apparently adopt this. – The situation is now so critical in order to get hold of health personnel that we must use stronger measures to ensure patients the necessary health care in the future as well, regardless of geography and pocketbook, says Myrseth to news. Want to protect preparedness For the Labor Party, it is about trying to protect the vulnerable workforce. The party fears that private companies can attract professionals from the public sector to healthcare services that are not as urgent as, for example, a public hospital. – Security for health care for everyone is so important that we absolutely have to have better control over the rise of private clinics, says Myrseth. In practice, this will mean that the regional health authority can say no to the establishment of a private company, in order to protect the “preparedness” in an area. The proposal will be launched at the Labor Party’s national meeting on Saturday, from a unanimous editorial committee. – There will not be more health personnel if we build a private and a public hospital next to each other. In the waiting room and the emergency department, we are all the same and it is the need for help, not willingness to pay, that should determine when you get help in Norway, says Myrseth. This means that in reality you can say no to the establishment of private hospitals, maternity clinics or the like, if it is such that the public sector will lack health personnel for the prioritized health services. The Labor Party fears for staffing at public hospitals, such as at St. Olav’s hospital in Trondheim. Photo: Gorm Kallestad / NTB Criticism from Bekkemellem After the national assembly speech of Prime Minister and later re-elected party leader Jonas Gahr Støre, NHO Geneo director Karita Bekkemellem was disappointed. She has been a minister for Labor in two governments, but now works with the health industry, welfare and upbringing in the private sector. “If one is to interpret Støre’s speech from the national assembly, and other health policies we have seen from the current government, then the answer to these challenges is to get rid of private players. It solves absolutely nothing, on the contrary,” she writes in a VG chronicle. “Støre also indicates that there are poor pay conditions at private companies in nursing homes and home care. This is respectfully reported as an error. Such claims undermine the entire tripartite cooperation in Norway,” believes Bekkemellem. When news discussed the Labor proposal a few weeks ago, Storting representative Erlend Svardal Bøe (H) stated that he has no faith in the limitation of the private players. – We think it is naive to believe that you will get more available nurses and doctors in the public sector by restricting private and non-profit actors in the health and care service. People must be allowed to decide where they want to work, said Bøe.
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Will stop private health services – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
