On Friday, the government presented the very first report to the Storting on health preparedness. There they propose several changes to Norwegian health preparedness, and emphasize that prevention and preparedness must be given increased priority in the health service. – We live in a troubled world. The threat picture is increasing and is more complex. This means that health preparedness must be given increased priority going forward. We both can and must improve. That is why we are now taking action to strengthen preparedness, says Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap). The government acknowledges in the report that there is a need to strengthen health preparedness to prevent and manage future crises, particularly in light of the lessons learned from the corona pandemic. New health preparedness council – The report points to six risk areas that require special attention in the coming years. There are complex threats and war, digital threats and vulnerabilities, security of supply, pandemic and infection control, safe water supply and nuclear incidents that can threaten life and health, says Kjerkol. The government wants to establish a separate health preparedness council, led by the Ministry of Health and Care. This means, among other things, that it is the Ministry of Health that will lead the handling of major health crises in the future, and not the Directorate of Health, as during the pandemic. The government will also set up six committees and an expert committee to provide advice for health crises. In the message to the Storting, the government points to four measures to strengthen health preparedness in Norway: New model for health preparedness: The government will establish a new model for work with health preparedness. According to them, the model should provide for clarified roles and responsibilities in the health sector, and contribute to strengthened and more systematic work with safety and preparedness. Increased flexibility and adjustment: The government will make arrangements to increase the health service’s ability to adjust and be flexible. It requires prioritization, an overview of personnel resources, and reallocation and mobilization of resources, writes the government. Better cooperation: The government will strengthen cooperation across sectors, and cooperation with voluntary organizations and the business world. We must become better at utilizing society’s collective resources, the government believes. Strengthening international cooperation The government will strengthen Norway’s international cooperation on health preparedness, particularly as a result of the corona pandemic. They will put in place an agreement to participate in the EU’s strengthened health preparedness. Such an agreement is necessary to ensure that we are covered by the EU’s future health preparedness, the government believes. – Does not solve the task The Norwegian Nurses’ Association is not impressed by the notification to the Storting. – The health emergency message neither solves the task nor takes care of the people. The biggest risk to Norway’s health preparedness is a lack of health personnel. Despite that, the Government delivers a message that does not describe the staffing crisis, and thus there are no real measures that meet the needs of the population. It is extremely serious, says Lill Sverresdatter Larsen, head of the Norwegian Nurses Association. Storting representative Bård Hoksrud (Frp). Photo: Tom Balgaard/news Health policy spokesperson in the Progressive Party (Frp), Bård Hoksrud, is not impressed either. He believes that it will not enable the healthcare system to handle the next health crisis better than the corona pandemic, because the government is not putting fresh money on the table to strengthen healthcare preparedness. – It is reasonably special for the government to put forward a message to strengthen health preparedness, at the same time that they have initiated a process in Helse Nord where it is recommended to close down hospitals, emergency and maternity services. It is particularly worrying with the new security policy situation in the northern regions that health preparedness is being reduced, and not increased in the region, says Hoksrud. Believes that the government is opening an open door Bjørn Ivar Kruke is professor of social security at the University of Stavanger (UiS). He believes that the government is knocking on an open door with this notification to the Storting. Professor of social security at UiS, Bjørn Ivar Kruke. Photo: Rolv Christian Topdahl – First of all, it is important to point out that we have a healthcare system that generally works very well. This is because the healthcare system is staffed with many skilled professionals at all levels. The challenge lies in getting the professionals to pull in the same direction and in listening to the advice and experience available in the agency, says Kruke. He points out that inadequate cooperation within health preparedness is a major challenge in several areas already today. – Among other things in psychiatry, but also in adopting new technology to make information processing more reliable. It is a known fact that there is a need for more reliable and efficient technological and organizational solutions. Better systems must be established for information flow and coordination between the healthcare system and other actors, such as the municipality and the police, says Kruke. He believes that these are challenges that must be resolved in order for us to be prepared to deal with major unwanted incidents in the future. – The basis for good health preparedness in major crises is laid in the pre-crisis phase, in the everyday operation of the Health Service and in established channels for the flow of information across sectors, he says. Kruke also highlights international cooperation as a prerequisite for effective health preparedness. – This applies, among other things, to protective equipment, medicines, competence development, emergency response capacities, and so on, he says.
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The government presents its first health preparedness report – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
