The waiting time for health care at Norwegian hospitals is on average eight days longer than last year for the period January to May. This is shown by figures from the Norwegian Directorate of Health. For those who are still waiting for treatment, the average waiting time is 77 days. It is the longest for patients with somatic diseases and in child and adolescent psychiatry. Ragnar Falck Paulsen from Stavanger needed treatment for his hips. – Several years ago, I was told by the doctor that they were worn out. The problems were small back then. Gradually the problems got bigger and bigger, says Paulsen, who works as a lawyer on a daily basis. – Never got a proper answer. In the end, his physical ability to function was severely limited. – At one point I could hardly walk, he says. After several examinations at the hospital, he was put on the waiting list for surgery. – I repeatedly asked when I was going to receive treatment, but I never got a proper answer, says Paulsen. As time went on, and the problems got worse, he got tired of waiting. Ragnar Falck Paulsen is very satisfied with the treatment he received at Aleris. Photo: Mads Nielsen / news Gave predictability He contacted the private healthcare company Aleris in early summer last year. A few weeks later, his worst hip was operated on. After a round of training, functional ability began to improve. In February this year, the other hip was operated on, also on Aleris. – It has been very successful. I look forward to every step I take, says Paulsen. He points out that the private operator not only gave him prompt treatment, but also predictability. – I missed that from the public sector. I have gained a completely different view of the private healthcare system, says Paulsen. Former clinic manager and chairman of the board of the Norwegian Patient Association, Olav Røise. Photo: Arild Gimse / news Believes the numbers do not show the whole picture That waiting times in the public sector have become longer, former clinic manager and chairman of the Norwegian Patient Association, Olav Røise, believes that is to be expected. – The capacity for treatment at the hospitals is not good enough. This is very bad for a large patient group. I am particularly concerned about psychiatry. This affects patients who are about to develop serious psychological problems, says Røise. He believes that the public figures do not show the whole picture. – Even more people are queuing on the hospitals’ internal waiting lists. These are not reflected in the public statistics, says Røise. He believes that the public sector must recognize how big the problem really is, and come up with measures rooted in actual reality. – It is serious – It is serious if the queues are actually longer, and that public health organizations are trying to make up the numbers. It is important that the real figures come to the table, says party leader Sylvi Listhaug (Frp). Sylvi Listhaug (Frp) will use private healthcare providers to reduce the queues. Photo: ISMAIL BURAK AKKAN / news The Progressive Party wants private healthcare providers to be used to reduce waiting times at public ones. – These are individuals who are ill and need treatment. Then we have to use the powers that exist to reduce the queues. It is more important that the patients receive treatment than who is responsible for it, says Listhaug. She is critical of the abolition of free choice of treatment, despite the fact that it cost the public several billion annually. – This is money that has given several patients treatment. With the liquidation, we now see that the queues are increasing sharply. They are longer now than they were during the corona pandemic, says Listhaug. State Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Care, Ole Henrik Bjørkholt (Ap). Photo: Synne Lykkebø Hafsaas – Will take some time State Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Care, Ole Henrik Bjørkholt (Ap), believes that the backlog from the pandemic is the reason why the waiting lists have become longer. – It has nothing to do with the abolition of free choice of treatment. It was in reality a pure privatization reform that helped drain the public health system of resources. It constituted a microscopic proportion of total treatments, he says. Bjørkholt says that during the pandemic the hospitals had to cancel major examinations and treatments. – They have to make up for these at the same time as new patients arrive. This will take some time. We treat more patients now than we did last year. We have to reduce the waiting times in several ways. Among other things, by prioritizing more correctly and by strengthening the public health system, he says. Furthermore, he says that the government is not against collaborating with the private sector. – But it must be on the terms of the public health service, says Bjørkholt.
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Waiting times in Norwegian hospitals have become longer – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
