The matter in summary The GPs in Kjøpsvik believe that Helse Nord does not involve the primary healthcare service well enough in the investigations, which can have major consequences for the patients. Helse Nord proposes to remove the emergency surgery and reduce the maternity services in Narvik, which will increase the workload of the GPs in the municipality and may cause recruitment challenges. The GPs believe that the changes will have major financial consequences for society, including increased expenses for ambulances, ambulance workers and doctors in the district. The Helse Nord board will discuss the matter on Tuesday, and any changes will be finalized in April. The GPs encourage Helse Nord to listen to the input that has been received and to include the primary healthcare service in the investigation. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – There is a very large gap in the investigation by Helse Nord, and it can have major consequences for the patients, says Sophie Berg Riiber. She is an emergency and general practitioner in the town of Kjøpsvik in Narvik municipality. Riiber and colleague Jørg Vik recently wrote an article that was published in Aftenposten. Here they describe their everyday life, and what they fear may be the outcome of the major restructuring of the hospitals in Northern Norway. On Tuesday, the board of Helse Nord will meet to agree on a final proposal that will be sent out for consultation. One of the proposals is to remove emergency surgery and reduce maternity services in Narvik. Riiber and Vik believe that Helse Nord does not involve the primary healthcare service well enough in the investigations. – As a result, they do not get the whole picture. After all, we are mutually dependent on each other. We GPs notice it well when, for example, there are few people and many patients in the hospital. And I am sure that the hospital notices it if there are few or inexperienced GPs at work with us, says Riiber. – We benefit from both working well, and we are very dependent on each other. New, major demands on doctors One thing is the medical. Kjøpsvik is an hour and a half’s drive from Narvik. As an emergency room and general practitioner in Kjøpsvik, Riiber has to do a number of things that general practitioners more closely see in large hospitals avoid. – For example, we only have one ambulance here. When it is on a mission, or not manned, and someone calls 113, we often have to move out, she says. In addition, they must carry out a number of emergency medical interventions before the patients are sent on to the hospital in Narvik. – Let’s say a patient has a dislocated finger or has broken an ankle. If the hospital is close, you can usually send the patient straight to you. But because hospitals are far away from us, we have to consider whether we have to get the joint or the ankle in place before we can send the patient to the hospital or not. And it’s not just done in one fell swoop, as you might see in movies. This is among the reasons why Riiber and her colleagues have fewer patients on their lists. In addition, they have more practice in emergency medicine. The director of Helse Nord, Marit Lind, therefore suggests, without doubt, to close the emergency surgery service and reduce the maternity service in Narvik. This means that emergency patients have to go to Harstad, 1.5 hours from Narvik and three hours from Kjøpsvik. Should the emergency functions eventually disappear from Narvik hospital, the work tasks for the GPs in Narvik will increase. They run the risk of ending up doing much of what Riiber and her colleagues do today. Something that can cause recruitment challenges in Narvik. – It is difficult to recruit GPs in general. With increased demand if the emergency function is moved, it may be difficult to get enough GPs and emergency room doctors. In addition to the fact that there will be a greater need for both GPs and paramedics, Riiber believes. It will cost society more One of the arguments for the changes in the hospital structure in Helse Nord is economics. But Sophie Berg Riiber and colleague Jørg Vik are not so sure whether the Norwegian healthcare system will save so much by closing down the emergency department in Narvik. In the chronicle, they are clear that such a cut will have major financial consequences for society. – Firstly: Helse Nord itself has written that there are not large amounts to be saved by closing down Narvik. Secondly, there are several uncertainties they do not take into account, says Riiber. – If they are to remove the emergency service, they must, for example, have more ambulances, ambulance workers and doctors in the district. In many places it is difficult to get hold of people. We therefore risk increased expenses for temporary workers, hiring and overtime. Even if it does not come from Helse Nord’s budget, it still involves tax money. Fantastic to work in Northern Norway Helse nord does not wish to comment on the matter at this time. On Tuesday, the Helse Nord board will discuss the matter. At the meeting, the board will try to agree on the proposal, which will then be sent out for consultation. In April, any changes will be nailed down, according to the planned timeline. – I hope Helse Nord listens to the many inputs that have already come in and listens to its employees whom they need to keep. That they are able to see the big picture, says Riiber, who fully understands that something still needs to be done about the health services in Northern Norway. – We know that the wave of elderly people hits Northern Norway first. In addition, we have extra challenges with distances and so on, so there is no doubt that you have to do things. But doing a good investigation and also including the primary healthcare service will be the surest way to ensure a sustainable future. Sophie Berg Riiber is sure that the challenges can be solved. For her and her family, it has been a joy to move to Northern Norway, after a lifetime in Oslo. – Our quality of life is fantastic. It takes me ten minutes to get home from work. Then I also visit the shop and the nursery. Even though I work 50-60 hours a week, I still feel that I have many hours of extra free time compared to my friends down south, she says. – I don’t think the challenge is to get people to Northern Norway. The challenge is to keep the people who are here, and the people who are regularly drawn north by the beautiful nature, such as us. The solution may lie in organization and working conditions. NO REGRETS: Sophie Berg Riiber with her two children aged 1 and 5 on a cottage veranda in northern Norway. The family does not regret moving from Oslo. Photo: Private
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GPs critical of Helse Nord’s investigation – news Nordland
