– I have lost a child, but this is the second saddest day I have experienced. We were to welcome families from all over the country in a few weeks. They ache for this offer. They were so close to getting it. Now we have to crush that hope, writes general secretary Natasha Pedersen in a press release. In a press release, the association writes that the reason is that the government proposes to remove earmarked money from the national budget. – I have devoted my whole life to this project, but the cut from the government makes it impossible to pursue it seriously. We have employed skilled and committed professionals, who will take care of dying and seriously ill children. This is a very vulnerable group, says Pedersen. Should have opened in January – It is impossible to run a children’s hospice on searchable project funds. It requires predictability and political signals we can trust, she says. news recently revealed that the association has spent large sums on TV advertising, design furniture and PR consultants. The association has bought designer furniture and furnishings for their own private apartment for close to one million kroner. Many have been critical of the association, and the Directorate of Health has decided that they will investigate the use of money. The children’s hospice should have opened its doors in January. Now the association concludes that it will not be possible to run the children’s hospice without earmarked money from the state. Uncertain future In the press release, the board also writes that they are considering the future of the association. – We must consider properly and seriously what we do next year. The government has also removed the earmarking for the organization of NOK 2.5 million. FFB is an organization that has raised the field of child palliation, in people’s consciousness and on the political agenda. We have been a powerful lobbyist for more support for the entire field, says chairman Lisbeth Andersen.
ttn-69