– Many of my colleagues are about to give up hope. It has long been a great frustration, but that frustration is turning into hopelessness, says leader of the medical association in Rogaland, Peter Christersson to news. 12 years ago, Christersson started his GP career at Stavanger Medical Centre. When he started, he was busy at work, but when it was four o’clock he could cycle and pick up the children from the nursery school. The working day was over, unless he had an emergency call. One or two evenings a month he went into the office to get some social security certificates that had piled up. – It was absolutely livable to be a GP, and I was able to participate in the vast majority of closings. But in the last 4-5 years it has changed considerably. Now Christersson rarely finishes before five in the afternoon. When he goes home for the day, there is so much work he should be done that he ends up working in his home office in the evening. Some weekends also go to work. – This despite the fact that I have reduced the list by 200 patients compared to what I had previously. The workload per patient has grown exponentially over these years, he says. According to Helfo, 175,000 people are without a GP. In Rogaland alone, as many as 13 out of 23 municipalities are without an available GP. Photo: Kristoffer Apall / news 175,000 without a GP According to figures from Helfo, in June there were around 175,000 people in Norway without a GP. In Nord-Jæren, Norway’s third largest conurbation, where around 230,000 people live, there is not a single GP available. In Rogaland, 13 out of 23 municipalities have no vacant GP positions and only 22 of the 439 GPs in the county have vacancies. In Trondheim there are 196 GPs, but zero vacancies. Neither Bergen, Tromsø or Drammen have available places. Not even Malvik municipality in Trøndelag. Already in 2018, Christersson went out in Aftenbladet and warned about the crisis that was coming. Now four years later, the situation is getting worse with each passing month. – This mostly applies to patients who do not have a GP. There is no one to drive up. And those who are lucky enough to have a GP may have a GP who is so overworked that they have to wait many weeks before they can see their GP, he says. – Must cut back on administrative work Ahead of the general election in 2021, several politicians came out with promises of improvement for GPs. And Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol announced in a post this spring that there would be measures against the GP crisis in the state budget for 2023. – It is quite frustrating. We have come with the same message year in and year out, he says. The solution, according to Christersson and the medical association, is that they need more funds. – We need to bring in more funds, so that we can get more doctors into the scheme, and thus share with the patients who are. Those who have too many patients can reduce the list and new ones will come in who can take over patient rooms, he says. He points out that in recent years there has been a lot more paperwork, and he has repeatedly stated that certificates of absence in upper secondary schools should be cut out. – I think the entire GP corps has been cursed for quite a few years. We see that people who have worked as GPs for many years, and who have been skilled GPs, do not persevere and start working elsewhere. GP Christersson is rarely at home until late in the evening. Photo: Kristoffer Apall / news Now he hopes for Kjerkol and the government. – I think something will come. But I am unsure whether what is coming is what is needed to save the GP scheme, he says. – Because if nothing happens, the GP scheme is over? – Yes, I think there is a real danger of that, he says, and continues: – If we end up with a situation where there are no permanent doctors, but more substitute relays or entirely private doctors, it will lead to further pressure on the hospital. In the worst case, it could lead to the entire health system in Norway collapsing. This is the status in selected municipalities Rogaland: Bjerkreim: Three GPs. One of them has free places. In return, she has 468 available places. Bokn: A GP. Zero vacancies. Eigersund: Six out of 14 GPs have vacancies. But on four of these lists there is no permanent GP. Gjesdal: 11 GPs. Zero vacancies. Haugesund: 34 GPs. Zero vacancies. Hjelmeland: Two GPs. One of them has free places. Hå: 20 GPs. Zero vacancies. Karmøy: 29 GPs. Zero vacancies. Klepp: 20 GPs. Zero vacancies. Kvitsøy: A GP. 267 available places. Lund: Three GPs. All have available places. Sandnes: 82 GPs. Zero vacancies. Sauda: Six GPs. Four of these have vacant places. Sokndal: Two GPs. One of these has 699 available places. Sola: 22 GPs. Zero vacancies. Beach: 16 GPs. Zero vacancies. Suldal: Six GPs. Two of these have vacant places. Hours: 17 GPs. Zero vacancies. Tysvær: 10 GPs. One of these has free places. Utsira: A GP. Zero vacancies. Vindafjord: 12 GPs. One of these has a few vacancies. The largest municipalities in Norway: Trondheim: 196 GPs, no vacancies Bergen: 256 GPs. No vacancies Tromsø: 80 GPs. Zero vacancies. Kristiansand: There are 107 GPs here. A total of seven of these have vacant places. Oslo: There are a total of 558 GPs. 104 of these have vacant lists. Bærum: 116 GPs. 13 of these have vacant lists. Drammen: 84 GPs. Zero vacancies. Asker: 78 GPs. 17 of these have free space. Lillestrøm: 72 GPs. 14 of these have vacant places. Fredrikstad: 77 GPs. Three of these have free space. Ålesund: 65 GPs. Four of these have free space. – Critical His colleague in Sandnes, municipal chief physician Guro Røstvig Hafnor, spends more than a 100 percent position working with the GP crisis. – It is critical now. We have no vacancies and haven’t for a long time. It is not possible for residents here to get a GP as soon as they arrive. They are on the waiting list for a long time, she says. While awaiting a government plan, Sandnes municipality has taken up a matter politically where they want to initiate several measures, including municipal schemes where they can employ GPs. – We have spoken out for many years, and the government has spent a very long time coming up with measures. I expect that they will soon say what they have planned to do, and that there will be money on the table, she says. Municipal chief physician in Sandnes, Guro Hafnor Røstvig, is concerned. Photo: Odin Omland / news Must wait until 2023 State Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Care, Ellen Rønning-Arnesen, admits that it is a serious situation that has developed over time. – It is high on the government’s priority list, and we are working on measures to stop this. She does not want to say specifically what the measures entail, but says that ensuring better recruitment is one of the things they are looking at. – In addition, we must make it easier to stay in the job and reduce the administrative burden, says Rønning-Arnesen. – The Minister of Health promised at the latest on election day that they would come up with measures to stop the GP crisis. Why hasn’t anything happened yet? – This is something that has developed over ten years. We have spent the last six months working on forward-looking solutions that can stand up to the national budget 2023. The State Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Care, promises that measures will be taken. But she doesn’t want to say which ones. Photo: Esten Borgos / Borgos Foto AS
ttn-69
Many municipalities are without available GPs – fear that the entire health system will collapse – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
