– Now 5,000 fewer are waiting for our services. With us in Helse Bergen, we are down from about 20,000 waiting from August last year, to the fact that we are now under 15,000 waiting. This is stated by the CEO of Haukeland University Hospital, Eivind Hansen. news has received figures from most health trusts in Norway, and the trend is the same across the country. These are the waiting times at some of the health trusts in Norway Health Stavanger: Waiting time Pending: 50 days (69 days at the same time last year) 62 days (93 days at the same time last year) Waiting time started Health care: 73 days (same as last year) Health Bergen: Waiting time Pending: 62 days (75 days at the same time last year) Days at the same time last year) Health Central Norway: Waiting time Pending: 72 days (81 days at the same time last year) Waiting time started Health care: 83 days (67 days at the same time last year) The figures are the average in March 2025 and 2024. news has also requested figures from other health enterprises. Currently without answers. In Bergen they have operated over afternoons and evenings. The outpatient clinics have expanded opening hours on weekends and in the evening. Satisfied employees and union-elected Karen-Anne Stordalen are enterprise representative in Helse Bergen. She says that the measures have been effective. – We have had the waiting times down. This is due to extra efforts from our employees who have voluntarily worked overtime, outside normal work time, says Stordalen. In Helse Bergen, the waiting times are approaching the level they were at before the pandemic. In addition to extended opening hours, they have increased cooperation with private players to reduce the queues. – We have increased our efforts, and extra has been worked. We have to give a big thank you to all the employees who have been on, says Eivind Hansen. Several health workers have voluntarily taken extra guards at Haukeland Hospital to reduce the waiting times. Photo: news TV – Legal agreements for overtime Stordalen emphasizes that overtime work has been carried out under orderly conditions and in good dialogue with the director and the enterprise management. – We have a good party cooperation. We have had legal agreements for overtime, employees have been involved in how this should be implemented and they have been allowed to provide input. I think that is a bit of the success that it has worked so well. So far, Stordalen has received little negative feedback from the employees on the measures. – When we have a good framework for overtime, people also stretch longer and want to contribute. Result of the Waiting Lift In May last year, the government launched the Waiting Time Promise. The hospitals around the country were commissioned to take measures to get the card down on the health queues. Helse Bergen has gone from an average waiting period of 72 days, down to 60 days for what they count as the waiting time for health care. The waiting time for pending is now 62 days, compared to 75 at the same time last year. – There will always be some wait. If we look at the supervisors, there will be some diagnostic groups that have recommended waiting time that goes beyond the average waiting period, says Hansen. New figures from the Ministry of Health and Care Services show that 46 700 fewer people are waiting for health care this year compared to the same time last year. At the same time, the average waiting time has been reduced by 20 days compared to last year. – We now see that the extraordinary measures to handle an increase in the number that had waited long after the pandemic works very well. This effort must continue for a while, but I would like to emphasize that the waiting time promise is primarily about measures that will have a long-lasting effect, says Minister of Health and Care Services Jan Christian Vestre. Jan Christian Vestre commissioned the hospitals to reduce the waiting times. Photo: NTB Karen-Anne Stordalen believes that it is important that the waiting times are kept down, but point out that voluntary overtime work cannot continue forever. – It is important that the waiting times do not go up again. In order for us to continue this, more money should be allocated to the health trusts. It must also be densified to cooperate on long -term measures, says Stordalen. Published 30.04.2025, at. 22.40
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