Northern Norway is crying out for professionals in the health sector. New figures from Helse Nord show that over 1,000 positions are vacant in the specialist health service. In the municipalities, too, they are struggling to get hold of GPs. But in Rana municipality in Nordland, they may have cracked the code. – When I am at work for the two weeks, I am 100 per cent at work. I don’t have my family around me, so I only have time to be a doctor on call, says Bjarte Skille. Tromsøværingen is one of three doctors who live in other parts of the country, but who are appointed as on-call doctor in the North Sea rotation at the emergency room in Mo i Rana in Nordland. – During the four weeks off, I get to spend more time with my family. That is a big advantage, he says. The arrangement with doctors in the North Sea rotation has proven to be popular among doctors. A total of 20 applied for the three positions, which involve work for two weeks, and time off for four weeks. – For the first time in a long time, we have experienced a luxury problem when we have to hire people. It’s a new experience for us, says the municipal chief of staff in Mo i Rana, Frode Berg. This should provide more stable operations at the emergency room, while at the same time relieving the burden on the municipality’s GPs. – It is absolutely fantastic. We get good cooperation, continuity, patient safety, and we get the same doctors back. As nurses at the emergency department, we have a completely different working day, says head of department at the emergency department, Anita Jacobsen Kirkreit. – The rotation exempts permanent doctors news has previously written about desperate municipalities that exempt temporary doctors with salaries of between NOK 180,000 and 208,000 a month. Rana is also struggling to get enough permanent doctors appointed. Of the 29 positions, nine are vacant and are currently filled by temporary workers. The hope is that less burden on GPs will make it more attractive to apply for a job as a GP. – We hope that when we have recruited doctors who take on part of the emergency work, that our GP positions will become more attractive, says the municipal superintendent. Municipal chief physician in Mo i Rana, Frode Berg, hopes that the recruitment of quail doctors will make it more attractive to apply for a job as a GP. Photo: Frank Nygård / news Caretaker Skille believes the North Sea rotation is a big advantage for GPs. – The rotation frees them from having to go into the heavy on-call doctor’s rotation, which puts a strain on an already busy GP’s working day. He himself has been a GP for many years, and worked 55 hours a week, to which emergency work was added. – In this scheme, you get dedicated doctors who want to go to the emergency room and are good at it. They take the shift so that the GPs can do their job, which is to take care of the patients on the doctor’s list. Bjarte Skille has himself been a GP for many years. Photo: Frank Nygård / news The North Sea cycle is here to stay In recent years, we have seen top managers and middle managers who live in other places in the country than where they run their company. – The North Sea cycle is here to stay, but with some delays. That’s according to Kjell Arne Røvik, who is professor of political science at the University of Tromsø. He calls the North Sea turn a double-edged sword. – On the one hand, the North Sea tour does not contribute a single kroner in tax money to the municipality. On the other hand, there is a lot of desperation in northern Norwegian working life and not least in the public sector, especially health. It’s about us not getting hold of people, he says and adds: – We can be grateful that people come in the North Sea rotation. Without it, we would not have managed. Røvik says that the interaction between workplaces and housing is about to disappear. – What can we do to get people settled? – We must try to convert intermediate housing into permanent housing. According to him, there are a number of measures that can be used: Welcome the newcomer well. The local community must do what they can to get those involved integrated. Use financial incentives and tools that can lead to people wanting to settle down. Ensure that a possible partner, cohabitant or spouse also gets a job in the same place.
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