MAJORSTUEN, OSLO (Nettavisen): Sunday marks three years since Norway went into lockdown after the coronavirus pandemic hit the country.
To meet demand for tests, vaccines and other treatments, the government and some municipalities have turned to the private sector.
But the government now wants to limit the scope of private health services Starting a job Find out how they can tighten.
Ole Erik Almlid, chief executive of the business sector’s main membership organization NHO, was involved with Nettavisen when he visited Volvat – one of the largest private healthcare providers – at Majorstuen in Oslo.
– There is now a political debate about taking health care providers out of our welfare mix. This would be serious for our health service. If we don’t want these actors in times of peace, they won’t be here in times of crisis. What would Health Minister Gergol do if a new epidemic broke out and no private actors were prepared due to government policy? He says and asks:
– Have we really learned anything from the pandemic?
There is a public health system Hard times. Health systems must cut back, and interest groups within the health system continue to engage Threats of cuts and bad deals. In many hospitals, there are many employees He submitted his resignations and charged with predatory behavior on the part of employees.
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VG I was told recently that the Swedish government pays for Swedish women to receive the same treatment in Norway while Norwegian women queue up for gynecological treatment from the public sector.
– We need more public-private collaboration, not less. That’s what the group really needs to work on, Almlid says of the government Zero profit optionIt looks at, among other things, how to tighten regulations for the private sector that provides welfare services.
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Doctors were dropping like flies
For many in the capital, the car park outside the Volvat complex in Majorstuen is well known. During the corona pandemic, Volvad in Oslo carried out a total of 200,000 tests for the public sector and private individuals.
– I probably took 20,000 of them, says Stein Mayer, clinical manager at Volvot, with a laugh about the 200,000 tests.
It is he who gives a tour of the center to Almlit and a large group of NHO – Netavisen in tow. Further on the tour, we come to the waiting room for the Corona patients.
– The mayor laughs saying that this is the worst place you can be in all of Oslo.
– It was scary at first when reports came in that Italian doctors were dropping like flies.
– But we all survived together, he releases his smile again.
NHO President Almlid continues to highlight the government’s work to reduce public use of private health services. He has allowed himself to be inspired by what the private sector has done during the pandemic.
– I would have thought that they learned from this, and “we want to expand cooperation,” he says sarcastically.
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Storr used a private physician
said in August Daily newspaper Prime Minister Jonas Gerstor went to a private doctor to treat a sprain he sustained during a famous match at the Norway Cup this summer. The treatment was done at Volvad Nimi in Oslo, where the hourly rate is NOK 1,700.
This is despite Labour’s party plan saying it would “halt the development towards a two-part healthcare system in Norway and say no to increased privatisation”. On the hartal site, it is stated that the government believes that “today’s market thinking, target management and privatization in health care should be curtailed”.
Government has existed since before laid down Free choice of treatment provided that the public sector paid the bill if patients received the same treatment from a private operator contracted with the public sector.
Almlit said the issue of Storr’s trip was not taken up by a private doctor and did not want to comment on it, but:
– In general, we support people choosing the health care providers they want.
Almlid is stern in his warnings, but Storr and the rest of the government seem certain they will realize he’s on to something.
– Common sense will prevail in the end, he repeatedly tells the Volvat employees he meets.
“Good” someone “makes a few kroner out of it”
Volvo is a French company with 1,200 employees, including consultants, in Norway.
65 percent of the income comes from private individuals who pay for the services, which they give to the NHO chief, the chart shows. Only 7.7 percent comes from services that healthcare organizations purchase from Volvo, 19 percent from insurance contracts, and 7.7 from companies.
– When companies buy services from us, it is actually cheaper than doing it themselves. A lot of people think it’s too expensive, but we operate very efficiently, says Ellingsen.
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The NHO chief believes that the epidemic cannot be handled without private health services.
– I am sure that this government will also understand that we need to work together more and less. We should put aside the political debate that goes into every hole of ours. We have common interests and tasks to solve, which is a star example, he says of the role of the private sector during the pandemic.
– Even if the profit goes to France?
– It’s about what patients get from good services and how quickly you get the service. If someone earns a few kroner from it, that’s good. But Almlid replies that we want as much health as possible for money, and therefore should not make so great a profit:
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– Not least in Sweden, you have the environment in France with long-term owners who have many good health facilities. So it is better to have a professional, good environment belonging to these companies. We appreciate that. I care less about a long film than a short film. In short, the ideology is high and in the long picture, everyone will see that it helps everyone to have good cooperation between the public and the people.
Got some serious news
During the pandemic, private operators were required to report how many beds were available at any given time, as these became part of the country’s preparedness.
At the start of the pandemic, a phone call came from the Health Directorate that had a clear message for Volvat managers:
– Keep your emergency rooms open!
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Volvo did. They then opened a flu clinic, testing and investigating possible cases of the infection over seven days.
– The pandemic is a good example of how we as private actors can quickly turn around and contribute to the public health system when needed. As a small player we have great adaptability, and this makes us a good and efficient partner in a large and heavy organization that is the public sector, says Lellen Ellingsen, Volvot’s medical director.
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Avoids splitting
Netavisen asks the government which parts of the health service it wants private actors to control, and can Norway withstand a new epidemic without private actors in the health system?
– This government wants a strong public health service for all. This is especially important against increased social and geographical disparities and against the fragmentation of the health service, says Karl Christian Bekeng (AP) in his response on behalf of Health Minister Ingwilt Kerkol (AP).
– Adaptability and flexibility may be an argument for using private actors in some contexts. At the same time, I would like to emphasize what the Corona Commission pointed out, the public hospitals made the best use of the existing resources and demonstrated the ability to adapt and the willingness to work. This demonstrates the value of public management and a nationally coordinated health service, says Bekeng.
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There needs to be more interaction between the public and private sectors, the Secretary of State insists.
– The public professional health service should continue to collaborate with private actors, when there is a real need for it and when the actors maintain high standards. For example, hospitals purchase more than $17 billion in services annually from private and nonprofit organizations. The use of private companies should be restricted by agreements that ensure public administration. This should happen according to the regulations of the Public Health Service.
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