There has been a storm around the Health Platform since the records system was introduced in Trondheim municipality in April. In October, employees at St. Olav hospital organized a torchlight procession towards the Health Platform to prevent the planned introduction to the hospital. But on Saturday, the system will be introduced at St. Olav’s hospital and in six other municipalities in Trønder. That is why 233 general practitioners and hospital doctors last week sent a letter to the Minister of Health and Care and a number of key politicians in the Storting. They demand that the Minister of Health now gets involved and stops the introduction of the Health Platform in Central Norway. – The goal is to stop the introduction of the Health Platform, says Mie Cappelen Skovholt, senior physician at the surgical clinic, St. Olav’s hospital. – Now there are only two days before it starts, so we realize that we won’t be able to do that. But we also want to show that we have spoken out, with the hope that we can stop it after introduction. Mie Cappelen Skovholt is one of 233 doctors who have signed the letter. Photo: Morten Andersen / news The doctors: The Minister of Health’s responsibility The letter to the Minister of Health Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap) and the other politicians was mainly sent by general practitioners and specialists at St. Olav’s hospital. – We had hoped for more involvement from national politicians a long time ago. It seems that they think this is a health region issue, which we think is strange, says Monica Engstrøm, senior physician and shop steward at the surgical clinic at St. Olav. In the letter, the doctors express that the record solution has not lived up to expectations, and that the Minister of Health, after all, has overall responsibility for the health service for the entire population of Norway. The health platform The health platform is responsible for implementing the introduction of a new and common patient record for the health service in central Norway If everything goes according to the health platform’s plan, the solution will be used by 40,000 employees in the health service 720,000 residents will then be able to access their own records digitally through the solution The project is owned by Helse Midt-Norge RHF and Trondheim municipality. The health platform is the region’s largest IT project and has a cost frame of NOK 4.2 billion. The health platform was introduced in Trondheim municipality in April. In November, St. Olav and six other municipalities in Trøndelag will introduce the record system. Then follows the hospital in Levanger and Namsos and two new Trønder municipalities, and eventually Helse Møre and Romsdal and Ålesund municipality. So far, 19 out of 66 municipalities have signed the agreement, thereby becoming owners of the company. The aim is to get all municipalities in central Norway on the team, but for now several are waiting. Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol has encouraged all municipalities in central Norway to join the Health Platform. – It is the health organizations that decide this and the Minister of Health has said that she does not interfere in this? – This is not a Central Norwegian problem, this is a national problem. That is her overall responsibility, says Engstrøm. She points out that 700,000 inhabitants will be affected by the introduction in central Norway. The doctors have received surprisingly little response after they sent the letter, they say. They have not heard anything from the Minister of Health. Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap) has been tight-lipped about the Health Platform and pointed out that it is the responsibility of the health institutions. Photo: Christian Breidlid / Christian Breidlid Can affect the whole country The doctors behind the letter say the Health Platform is a national problem because reduced operations at St. Olav could lead to other hospitals in Norway having to assist the hospital to relieve pressure with long waiting lists. – If we go to our knees at St. Olav, then other health regions must help us, says Engstrøm. In October, a torchlight procession was organized towards the Health Platform in Trondheim. Photo: Grete Thobroe / news – There is a group in Trondheim, with a predominance of general practitioners and hospital doctors, who have been responsible for much of the criticism against the Health Platform and who have caused a lot of unrest. How do you know that you have the other employees at the hospital with you when you demand that this be stopped? – The letter is signed by 233 doctors. That is a fairly large proportion, says Skovholt. For the record: There are approximately 1,500 doctors working at St. Olav, and in Trondheim municipality there are 168 GPs. The 233 doctors also point out that a requirement in the contract is that the system must be usable by all levels of the health service. This was the reason why the supplier Cerner withdrew from the tender round, as they considered that GPs would never be part of such a solution, writes Adresseavisen. The tender went to the American IT supplier Epic in 2019. According to the doctors who have signed the letter, they have not heard of a single private practitioner in central Norway who wants to enter into an agreement with the Health Platform. Thus, the requirement of the contract has not been fulfilled, the 233 doctors believe. – There should be a journal that could fulfill the requirement of one resident – one journal. This will never be possible, as long as not everyone in the health service is on board with this one IT solution, says Skovholt. Asks the National Audit Office to investigate In their letter, the doctors also demand that the National Audit Office carry out an investigation of the process surrounding the conclusion of the contract with the supplier Epic. Head of expedition Annette Gohn-Hellum in the National Audit Office tells news that they can only audit companies that are wholly owned by the State. – This means that we cannot go directly into the company Helseplattformen AS. Your auditors must do that. However, she informs that the National Audit Office is now carrying out a major investigation of IT systems used for patient treatment in the hospitals, and how they contribute to efficiency and patient safety. – The health platform is one of the systems we are looking at, but due to the delays in the introduction of the system, we are unsure how much will be involved. However, Gohn-Hellum emphasizes that they are closely monitoring the health sector because it is crucial for citizens. Head of expedition in the National Audit Office, Annette Gohn-Hellum. Photo: Ilja C. Hendel / The National Audit Office news has not received a response from Minister of Health Ingvild Kjerkol, nor has the Health Platform had the opportunity to ask for an interview. However, chairman Helge Garåsen writes the following in an e-mail: “The visions are still there, and we work continuously every day to ensure that this is a good solution for all patients and all healthcare personnel in central Norway. There are a large number of health personnel responsible for this, both doctors and other professional groups. Now the restructuring is underway and we need quiet work. Any audit review of the health platform is, of course, only positive, should it become relevant.”
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– A national problem – news Trøndelag
