Will discontinue emergency surgery in Lofoten and Narvik – news Nordland

This is based on a draft of a comprehensive plan prepared by Helse Nord, to which news has been given access. Earlier this autumn, a total of five working groups, set up by Helse Nord, submitted their recommendations for a new organization of the hospitals in northern Norway. The Helse Nord management has now compiled the conclusions of the five working groups into a comprehensive report. This document will now be discussed with the union representatives. In the report, the managing director, Marit Lind, recommends removing the emergency surgery at the hospitals in Lofoten and Narvik. “The CEO has doubted that my recommendation will be to discontinue the emergency surgery function at both Nordlandssykehuset Lofoten and UNN Narvik. The main rationale is to ensure future sustainability,” the report states. As regards the internal medicine emergency response, the Helse Nord management recommends keeping it in Lofoten. The background is that the majority of internal medicine patients are largely elderly and frail. “For these patients, and especially the frail elderly, it will be very burdensome to have to be transported over long distances, especially as is recommended between Lofoten and Vesterålen,” the report continues. “This is the main reason why the managing director, despite the fact that it will have a reduced financial and staffing effect compared to the working group’s majority recommendation, will not recommend reducing the internal medicine emergency functions at Gravdal and in Narvik,” the report also states. But it is far from certain that it will be as the Helse Nord management recommends. The overall plan must be presented to the board over the New Year, and then the board must decide what will be sent out for public consultation. After the consultation round, the Helse Nord management must read the consultation input and make any changes. The matter must then be presented to the board of Helse Nord for a final decision. The case is then expected to end up with Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap), who has the final word on the matter.



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