– The working day became overwhelming. There was too much work outside working hours, says Tobias Nieber (56). He worked as a GP for over 20 years. The days began with office work before working hours. Then he received patients all day. Sometimes followed by duty at the emergency room. Then it was often close to midnight before he could go home. The lack of substitutes made it difficult to disconnect. Even when he was on holiday, he stayed in front of the PC with e-consultations. – It is invasive. That there is always something that needs to be done. In the end it didn’t work anymore. Has got a better life Before the summer, he decided to stop working as a GP in Askøy. He loved the job. Get along well with patients and colleagues. But the lack of free time weighed heavily in the end. – I often had to say no to doing things with the family, because I had no surplus, he says. In August, he started a new job as a senior physician at Bergen A&E. Now he has more administrative tasks. At the same time, he is an important support for the doctors who work on the floor in the emergency department. When the working day is over, he can put the job behind him. – As a GP, I had a good life. Now I have a very good life. Tobias Nieber started as a senior doctor at the Bergen Emergency Department after the holidays. Now he worked 40 hours a week and can relax when the working day is over. For the first time, he also has time to pursue his own hobbies. Photo: Synne Lykkebø Hafsaas / news – Need more doctors with shorter lists In the past year, more residents have become without a GP, according to the Directorate of Health. Now around 235,000 people lack a GP in Norway, according to figures from the Association of General Practitioners. Leader Nils Kristian Klev of the association believes that it is a result of the GP scheme not being well enough funded. – The doctors have been constantly given new tasks, but the allocations for the service have still not been increased. This has meant that GPs have far too long working days. The solution is to reduce the workload, he believes. – Then more doctors with shorter lists are needed. It is not possible without larger grants for the scheme. Doctors must have shorter patient lists. Larger allocations are then needed for GP schemes, believes leader Nils Kristian Klev of the Association of General Practitioners. Photo: Allmennlegeforeninga Helping patients without a GP Around 10,000 residents in Bergen are now without a GP. Many of them visit the emergency room when they need health care. But the emergency room should only treat acute medical conditions. This limits what the doctors here can do for them. For Tobias Nieber, it gives a slight aftertaste. As a GP, he could follow up patients and see ailments in context. At the emergency room, he will only help here and now. – The patients receive poorer treatment, because we cannot follow them up. It is sad to see that they have no other body to turn to. He believes that the government has done too little to solve the GP crisis. – It is no use to refer to the fact that powerful measures must be initiated in a year or two. It has to happen now, he says. As a GP, he could follow up patients and see ailments in context. At the emergency room, he will only help here and now. – Sad to see that they don’t have another body to turn to, says Nieber about the patients without a GP. Photo: Synne Lykkebø Hafsaas / news – No quick fix State Secretary Ole Henrik Bjørkholt (Ap) in the Ministry of Health and Care says that the GP crisis is the government’s “very first priority”. He points out that the government has promised to take action as early as 2023. – This is a situation that has developed over ten years. It was not caught when it was on low flame. It was allowed to develop into a crisis. There is no quick fix. Many measures must be taken over a long period of time. – How quickly can you pump more money into the GP scheme? – The state budget will be tight and fair. But we have promised that we will strengthen the GP scheme. We will keep that. State Secretary Ole Henrik Bjørkholt (Ap) in the Ministry of Health and Care says that many steps must be taken over a long period of time to solve the GP crisis. Photo: Synne Lykkebø Hafsaas / news
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