There has been a lot of talk about the introduction of the new record system Helseplattformen in Midt-Norway. GPs receive incomprehensible information about patients, referrals end up astray and employees find the system so cumbersome that they threaten to quit. In November, 200 doctors demanded that the Minister of Health intervene and stop the introduction of the controversial IT system. Several politicians in the Storting have asked Kjerkol questions about the Health Platform and patient safety, including Morten Wold (Frp), Hege Bae Nyholt (R) and Olaug Bollestad (KrF). Kjerkol replies in the media and to the politicians that the health company Helse Midt-Norge is responsible and must sort things out. This shows part of a larger democratic problem, according to the party Red: – The Minister of Health has given the steering wheel to directors and lets them rule. If it goes well, she takes the credit, if it goes badly, she can continue to point to the health enterprise model. So says Seher Aydar, parliamentary representative for Rødt and member of the health committee at the Storting. Red: Cannot waive responsibility The health company reform, which you can read more about in this case, was introduced by a Labor Party-led government in 2001. Aydar believes that Kjerkol has consistently “hid” behind the company model in matters concerning the Health Platform. This by pointing to the health institutions as responsible. – She cannot abdicate the responsibility she has as health minister and refer to directors who have not been elected by the people, says Aydar. Seher Aydar is a parliamentary representative for Rødt and a member of the health committee at the Storting. She believes the Minister of Health must now take responsibility for the Health Platform. Photo: Ihne Pedersen Last year, the Minister of Health said that it was important that municipalities and GPs in Central Norway got together and put the Health Platform into use, and that it would bring great benefits to the entire health service, according to the Health Platform’s own pages. – It is wrong when the health minister boasts of good intentions and when things are going well, but does not step in and clean things up when things are going badly, says Aydar. Employees at St. Olav organized a torchlight procession ahead of the introduction of the new patient system. Photo: Grete Thobroe / news Don’t trust the health region’s management Eivind Grong is a doctor in the gastrosurgery department at St. Olav, and an associate professor at the department of clinical and molecular medicine at NTNU. At the end of December, he sent an e-mail to the Minister of Health to share his concern for patient safety after the introduction. Grong writes that he treats patients who need immediate help and that he feels insecure in his job. The health platform makes it much more difficult to get a quick overview of the background of patients who come in and need quick help, the doctor learns. St. Olav doctor Eivind Grong has voted for the Labor Party all his life and adds that the criticism of Kjerkol (Ap) has no political agenda. Photo: Privat Grong believes the Minister of Health has been evasive in his criticism of the Health Platform. – She has left the responsibility entirely to the health institutions, he says. Grong believes this is particularly problematic, because Helse Midt-Norge itself is the owner of the Helseplattformen, and thus has too great an incentive for the introduction to continue, according to the doctor. – I have lost confidence in their handling of this situation that St. Olav is now in. There are such large sums of money involved, and then there should also be heavy government involvement, says Grong. Helse Midt-Norge has been presented with the criticism, but will not be interviewed. The media watchdog writes that the Ministry of Health and Care Services is kept informed about the business through regular dialogue and reporting meetings. Quality, finances and ongoing projects and measures are presented there. In addition, they provide information to the owner (i.e. the state) if, for example, questions are asked in the Storting, the media watchdog writes. Will be held accountable In the email, Grong writes that Kjerkol must show action and stop the introduction of the Health Platform. – She should also set up an independent commission to investigate how this is going, he says. – Now both the State Administrator and the Norwegian Health Authority are involved? – They handle individual cases. The state administrator must ensure that proper health care is provided. But social economics and the overall picture are the responsibility of the Minister of Health and should be in her interest to find out, says the doctor and adds: – Undoubtedly the fate of the Health Platform will point back to her and she will be held accountable, no matter how this goes, says Grong . Determined to use the right to manage, Seher Aydar in Rødt believes the health enterprise model has limited the ability of elected politicians to manage the hospitals. – But Kjerkol doesn’t think so, she believes that it works, but that it requires political leadership. It is this leadership that I miss, says Aydar. The statements she refers to came in a meeting of the Storting in October, where Kjerkol said, among other things: “I am very happy that there was a change of government, because I believe that the health enterprise model offers good opportunities for political governance. It is the Minister of Health and Welfare who is the company meeting. It is the Minister of Health and Welfare who gives assignments to the hospitals. It is a management right I am determined to use.” – I don’t see any such political management now, says Aydar. Important with clear roles The Minister of Health has overall responsibility for all patients in Norway. She is also responsible for what happens in the regional health undertakings. This is what Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap) says. At the same time, she points out that the introduction of the Health Platform is a regional project for which Health Central Norway and the municipalities in Central Norway are responsible. – Do you recognize yourself in the criticism from Rødt that you hide behind the enterprise model in difficult cases? – I disagree. I believe it is important that we have good role clarifications so that patients are well looked after. It is not the case that the management of the hospitals will improve if we mix the roles, says Kjerkol. The Minister of Health believes that the enterprise model gives the politicians a good opportunity to manage the hospitals: – There is one politician in the enterprise model and that is the Minister of Health. But it is the Storting that decides which framework I have. So I think there is strong elected governance of the hospitals in Norway, says Kjerkol. Kjerkol does not recognize the criticism from Rødt, and believes it is important that there is a clear division of roles between ministers and the regional health undertakings. Photo: Marius A. Jenssen Stenberg / news – Krevende Kjerkol had a company meeting with Helse Midt-Norge last week. She was then updated on the development: – It is a demanding implementation project, there is no doubt about that. It is important that the problems that have arisen are taken seriously, and I got the impression that Helse Midt takes that very seriously, she says. – But what does it take for you to actively participate in the management linked to the introduction of the Health Platform? – I lead a ministry that provides overall management and assignments to the sector. Those who think the health minister should take over the job of local management at St. Olav must think about whether it helps to solve the problems or helps to create new problems, says Kjerkol.
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Red believes that Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap) is hiding behind the enterprise model in difficult cases – news Trøndelag
