Last week there was drama in the board of Helse Nord, when Marit Lind’s controversial proposal to cut the health service in Nordland was withdrawn. This means that the hospital plan, which was originally supposed to be adopted at the end of April, is on hold. The hospitals in Helse Nord have major financial problems and are in the middle of a staffing crisis. The most dramatic proposals were to remove emergency functions and downgrade the maternity services in Lofoten and Narvik. Narvik is building a brand new hospital at a cost of NOK 4 billion, and there have been many reactions. Now news can learn that Ingvild Kjerkol protects the emergency surgery and maternity services at the hospitals in Lofoten and Narvik. In the hospital speech to the Minister of Health and Care, Ingvild Kjerkol, it will be stated that emergency functions and maternity services will be protected in further discussion of hospital services. The speech will be given by the Minister of Health and Care at 11 a.m. Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap) when she visited Nordlandssykehuset at Gravdal in Lofoten last year. Kjerkol has received a lot of criticism for how both the government and Helse Nord have handled this process. Photo: Vilde Bratland Erikstad / news Mayor: – Very satisfied – I am very satisfied with the Minister of Health’s conclusions. She has taken our concern seriously, and gives us a very good solution that also gives the hospitals much better financial room for action, says the mayor of Narvik, Rune Edvardsen. There has long been great dissatisfaction in Narvik that the soon-to-be-completed billion-dollar hospital was to be downgraded before it was finished. Now, however, the mayor is satisfied with Health Minister Kjerkol. – That emergency preparedness is also included confirms Narvik’s important position, and we look forward to playing an important role in the development of Norwegian emergency preparedness, Helse Nord and the future healthcare system in the northern areas. The Minister of Health has thought wisely here. – This shows that the way Narvik municipality, both politically and administratively, has chosen to work, with clarity in combination with fact-based and factual arguments, has led. Lofoten: – Fantastic news Leader of Ap in Vågan, Marit Olsen, says this: – It came as a surprise, but this is very good news for Lofoten. Mayor Jonny Finstad (H) in Vestvågøy, where the hospital in Lofoten is located, says the flag goes to the top today. – This is fantastic news. Now the flags go to the top in Lofoten. This is a victory for popular commitment. – What do you think about the political process here? – When, after all, things go the way we want, then we get to concentrate on the positive. Now we have to be happy that we have been successful. The most important thing now is that people can feel safe again, and that we can look forward again. But the political process has been flawed from day one. It has created insecurity and people have felt despair. He believes that the process that has taken place has not been good for the health service in general, nor for the reputation of Helse Nord. – Now it’s about restoring trust, says Finstad to news Nordlund: Not appropriate to shut down Storting representative and head of the industry committee, Willfred Nordlund (Sp) says that this is a good day. – It has not been relevant for Sp to close food and emergency services in Northern Norway and reduce safety and preparedness for people and businesses. That is also the government’s conclusion, writes Willfred Nordlund in an e-mail to news. – I have worked for this all the way, so this is a good day
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Narvik and Lofoten cheer after Ingvild Kjerkol’s hospital speech – protecting emergency function and maternity services – news Nordland
