Hans-Jacob Bønå and his family in Vadsø, are hit hard by the conflict between NHO and the aircraft technicians. Bønå has a daughter with cancer who is at the University Hospital of Northern Norway (UNN). Now he is worried that the more than 200 flights that have been canceled will have consequences for sick patients in northern Norway. news reported on Sunday that cancer medicine in northern Norway could be affected by the labor dispute. That worries Hans-Jacob Bønå and his family. – We are worried that medicine will not come out. There are now many seriously ill people in hospitals who need that medicine. – Patients must take precedence over any wage demands that may arise. Medications must be provided. It is vital, says Bønå. The distance between Tromsø and Vadsø is 80 miles. When the planes do not go, it becomes difficult for Andrea Bønå to be visited by the family. Photo: private Widerøe is Finnmark’s “train” It was Sunday night that the conflict between NHO Aviation and the Norwegian Aeronautical Engineers’ Organization (NFO) was escalated with a lockout, and 450 aircraft technicians are not allowed to go to work. Widerøe is hard hit by the aircraft technician conflict and cancels over 160 departures on Monday. The short-haul network is flights between, or to and from the districts in Norway. The distance Vadsø-Tromsø is 80 miles. For the Bønå family, Widerøe is therefore the means of travel to visit their cancer-stricken daughter at UNN in Tromsø. – It is a strain to be so far away from our daughter now, and when the plane that is Finnmark’s “train” does not go, the distance becomes even longer, says Bønå. On Thursday, the family booked plane tickets to visit their daughter, now they are unsure if they will get off. – This is a difficult situation for us. Now we are excited about what is happening. But it looks dark so far. Medical director Harald Sunde says the biggest challenge for Finnmark Hospital now is the canceled flights to Widerøe. Photo: news Finnmark Hospital increases emergency preparedness All the canceled Widerøe planes are now creating such major problems for Finnmark Hospital that they have introduced green emergency preparedness. – It means increased vigilance and that we follow the situation continuously, says medical manager at Finnmark Hospital Harald Sunde. Sunde says it is canceled aircraft that create the biggest challenges. – We are struggling to get employees from outside into the hospitals in Kirkenes and Hammerfest. This means that we have to cancel classes and postpone them. – This is very broken. Several of these patients have already had their hours postponed as a result of the coronary pandemic. Harald Sunde is also worried about the patients who have booked a flight to come for treatment at the hospitals in Finnmark or UNN in Tromsø. – This is about cancer treatment, and other things. Internally in Finnmark, we can move the transport by car, but for the patients who will travel to UNN, it will be too long. Sunde says they also have a number of patients who are sent urgently from Finnmark to Tromsø. – We are talking about seriously ill newborns, heart attack and stroke patients. Then the two helicopters we have will probably have challenges to cover for this, says medical officer Harald Sunde. Hans-Jacob Bønå believes that the authorities must now stop the conflict, so that the Widerøe aircraft can run as normal. Photo: De Havilland Canada Believes the authorities must intervene Hans-Jacob Bønå in Vadsø says the uncertainty with canceled flights is difficult to live with. – We do not know exactly what to do with the flights we have booked this week. If the plane does not go, the alternative is once again to get in the car to drive the 80 miles to Tromsø to visit our daughter. – What do you think the authorities should do? – I believe that the authorities must now intervene. You do not notice this in Oslo, and do not see the challenges we face. And then you do not do anything about it either. – We who live far away can feel it on the body. I think that is completely unreasonable. I miss the authorities. Where do they go? It is the Norwegian Board of Health and the Ministry of Labor and Social Inclusion that assesses and adopts a compulsory wage board if there is a danger to life and health. The ministry informed news yesterday that the minister is following the conflict.
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Canceled Widerøefly is causing great concern at Finnmark Hospital – news Troms and Finnmark
