– I told my son that I no longer dread examinations at the hospital, but to travel there, says Helge Utby (83) to news. The former farmer lives on the family farm in Målselv in Indre Troms. It is miles to the doctor and over 120 km to the hospital, whether he is going for treatment in Narvik or to Tromsø. Utby is therefore dependent on the health transport offer Patient Travel to get to the doctor and hospital. He has told the newspaper Nye Troms about his experiences. To 83, the 83-year-old describes several stressful meetings with the shuttle scheme for Helse Nord between November last year and May this year. – Waited for seven hours After a heart examination at the hospital in Narvik, Utby called as agreed the driver who transported him there, he says. Then the car was on its way to Evenes for another trip. The taxi had to be charged before Utby was picked up, and he ended up waiting for 4.5 hours without being offered food or drink, he describes. There are still two incidents that have been extra tough for Utby. – After the episodes with the trips to Narvik, I was in Tromsø for treatment at the hospital. After discharge, I had to wait for a ride for over seven hours before I could go home. There was no offer of food, he says. At the bottom of this article, Patient Travel explains the regulations. The management also regrets that Utby has had bad experiences during hospital transport. HARD HOSPITAL: I waited for a ride for over seven hours at the hospital in Tromsø before I had to go home to Målselv, says Helge Utby. Photo: Knut-Eirik Lindblad / news Looking forward to driving again For Utby, the toughest move came in May. He had then been without a driver’s license for six months as a result of health problems and their treatment. Now he was going to the doctor to lift the driving ban. Then Patient Travel contacts the 83-year-old and says they do not have the capacity to drive him. He is also offered no alternative, according to Utby. – It was a hard blow, he says. – I have the impression that Patient Travel has a requirement to transport patients in an electric car. This leads to capacity problems for us who live far out in the village, says Utby. Will cut emissions Helse Nord and the University Hospital of Northern Norway (UNN) are responsible for patient travel to Utby. In an article on their own website, they inform that they have requirements for drivers and transport companies for environmentally friendly cars. The purpose is to cut emissions. Bernt Nerberg, advisor for Patient Travel in Helse Nord, writes in an e-mail to news that tenders are awarded on the basis of which transport provider has the best relationship between price and environment. Price counts 70 percent, environment counts 30 percent. Asks Kjerhol to clean up The Pensioners’ Association now comes with sharp criticism of the health services for Patient Travel. They ask the Minister of Health and Care Services Ingvild Kjerkol (Labor Party) to clean up. The association demands that Kjerkol make a thorough review of the scheme. It appears from a warning letter from the Pensioners’ Association Troms to the Minister of Health, which news has been given access to. Patient travel A total of 7.4 million trips in 2021. In the same year, NOK 2.47 billion was spent on patient travel. Organized through 17 patient travel offices and a national company, Patient Travel HF. The patient travel offices are responsible for planning and booking travel with requisitions. Patient Travel HF is a national company owned by the four regional health authorities with responsibility for patient travel without requisition. Source: Pasientreiser.no “Patients have horrible experiences and unworthy conditions with a total lack of respect and care in relation to what one can expect from responsibility, service and attitudes towards fellow human beings from a transport provider.”, It says in the letter signed by the county manager for Pensjonistforbundet Troms, Werner Kiil. – Environmental considerations trump human dignity. It is unsustainable, says Kiil to news. SUPREME RESPONSIBLE: Minister of Health and Care Services Ingvild Kjerkol (Labor Party). Photo: Linda Bjørgan / news Sorry about bad experiences The head of the Department of Patient Travel at UNN, Stine Schouten, regrets that some people have bad experiences with the offer. – The goal is always to make the waiting time for patients as short as possible. But it can be difficult to calculate how many cars are needed at any given time, she says. According to Schouten, electric cars are not the reason for the long wait. – It is not possible to have agreements that are dimensioned to deliver every patient immediately. We also coordinate travel for several patients to make transport cost-effective. When incidents like this occur, it can be due to several factors, such as unforeseen urgent assignments, late orders from the requester or otherwise. – Is UNN aware of the unintended consequences of using green cars? – In some places there have unfortunately been some running-in problems, but we generally experience few delays related to this. Battery capacity and charging capabilities are constantly improving. UNN must comply with Helse Nord’s travel policy when they request transport for patients, Schouten informs. – On shorter journeys, up to 45 minutes, the maximum waiting time is three quarters of an hour. On longer journeys, a waiting time of two to three hours is accepted, she writes. – Unworthy State Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Care Services Karl Kristian Bekeng (Labor Party) says that they are aware of the problems Norwegian patients experience in encounters with Patient Travel. – All health regions have for a long time had different challenges for the facilitation of their patient travel services. In the north, there have been particular challenges regarding a limited taxi market and thus difficult tender opportunities, special geographical conditions and limited public transport in many places, says Bekeng. In Målselv, Helge Utby has a clear appeal to Helse Nord and Patient Travel: – There are many taxis available, give us one of them. I sat and waited for seven hours in Tromsø. It’s unworthy. Many have contacted me and told about similar experiences, he says.
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The Pensioners’ Association warns Minister of Health Ingvild Kjerkol (Labor Party) about Patient Travel – news Troms and Finnmark
