– The challenges with staffing in the health sector can and should be solved in other ways than giving veto rights against establishing private businesses. That’s what Lill Sverresdatter Larsen, head of the Norwegian Nurses Association, says. She clarifies that the nurses’ union has not processed the decision of the Labor Party. During this weekend’s national meeting, the Labor Party decided on Saturday to limit the opportunities for private actors in the Norwegian healthcare system. But AP’s national meeting has no resolution that says you must force health personnel to do anything, says parliamentary representative Cecilie Myrseth (AP). – What we have advocated is to be able to have some tools in the toolbox to be able to put our foot down where it is seen that the creation of new private actors could threaten the public health service. Labor Party politician Cecilie Myrseth wants to tighten the opportunities private actors have to establish themselves. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news 17,000 nurses outside the health service Sverresdatter Larsen believes that the politicians must realize that there is a free labor market, and that there will be more competition for labor in the years to come. – The biggest problem is that today there are 17,000 nurses who work completely outside the health service, according to Statistics Norway. The union leader says that they have several members who work in the private healthcare system, but that most of their members work in the public sector. Photo: Eskil Wie Furunes / news Sverresdatter Larsen says that she knows that private players offer salaries, working time arrangements and other benefits that are perceived as more attractive than what is offered in the public sector. – If such a development were to continue, the public health system must learn that adequate wages recruit, retain and mobilize the necessary expertise in the services. – It is not the nurses’ moral responsibility to buffer the government or employers’ lack of investment in our common health service. I don’t think a ban will motivate – This is not good news, either for patients or healthcare personnel. That’s what Anita Tunold, managing director of Aleris, says. The director says that she recognizes staffing challenges in parts of the health service. But she does not believe that an occupational ban will motivate people to stay in or apply to the public health service. – We must focus on creating good workplaces, where healthcare personnel choose to stay and find it attractive to apply, rather than refusing people to work in private healthcare, says Anita Tunold, managing director of Aleris. Photo: Aleris She believes that neither health education nor jobs in the health service will become more attractive if the politicians decide where people will work. – In a situation with record-long public waiting times, we should rather discuss how we can use all our best efforts to help the patients who need it, rather than refuse to work for healthcare personnel in the private sector, says Tunhold. Not a threat Tunold believes that Aleris does not pose a threat, but rather is a supplement in the healthcare system. – We employ less than 1 percent of the doctors in Norway, and less than half a percent of the nurses. However, we operate very efficiently. If the public sector buys capacity from us, we will quickly be able to remove the queues and relieve the hospitals in a cost-effective way, she says. – It is a much bigger problem that 17,000 nurses no longer work in the health service, than that we have 250 nurses who deliver good patient care. The Conservative Party wants to use the private sector to remove the queues The leader of the Norwegian Nurses’ Association believes that the public sector should both be responsible for and finance the health service. Then the private can be a supplement, which does not compete with the public. Nor does she feel that they do. Høyre’s health policy spokesperson, Tone Trøen, believes the biggest challenge is that the health care queues are increasing. Photo: Martin Fønnebø / news The Conservative Party’s health policy spokesperson, Tone Trøen, believes that the main tasks in the healthcare system should be solved by the public sector. She believes that the biggest challenge now is that the health care queues are increasing. – What is most important for the Conservative Party is that the public sector makes more use of the private treatment capacity so that patients do not have to wait in public healthcare queues, but receive treatment at the public’s expense at private clinics, says Trøen. – A collaboration between private and public health services, which contributes to better utilization of available capacity, increased freedom of choice and new forms of work and collaboration, is then important. – Not a contradiction Myrseth points out that their decision is in line with the professional recommendations from the Hospital Committee. She believes that you can both limit the opportunities for private actors and at the same time work to retain and recruit new health personnel. – I do not agree with the premise that there is a contradiction, says Myrseth. She points out that they spend NOK 14 billion annually on long-term agreements with private players. – But it cannot be the case that the public health service has to shoulder the heavy lifting and do the prioritized tasks, while private hospitals have to do the less prioritized tasks, says Myrseth. – Then you create a two-part healthcare system, and we do not agree to that.
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The Norwegian Nurses Association and the Conservative Party are critical of APS’s decision on private healthcare – news Troms and Finnmark
