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Labor advocates eliminating free choice of treatment in Norwegian hospitals. – Heartbreaking, says Mari Holm Lønseth (H).
– The Labor Party wants only those with a thick wallet to be able to choose for themselves, says health policy spokeswoman Mari Holm Lønseth.
One of the most prestigious reforms of the Solberg government has been the introduction of free choice of treatment. The scheme means that patients can choose the place of treatment for examinations or treatment, and it is funded in the same way as all other health services.
Since the scheme was introduced in 2015, 43,500 patients have used it.
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– Heartbreaking and icy
Now the Labor Party, the People’s Socialist Party and the Center Party are in favor of eliminating the scheme.
– It’s heartbreaking and icy to take away the rights of patients that free choice of treatment provides, says conservative health policy spokesperson Mari Holm Lønseth.
She thinks it is special that the Labor Party wants to eliminate the scheme for ordinary people, but will do nothing with purely private clinics, where all people with enough money can receive treatment.
– The Labor Party only wants those with thick wallets to be able to choose private hospitals. It’s heading toward a two-part health service where those with good advice are the ones to choose, he tells Nettavisen.
Thousands of Norwegians have had treatments postponed as a result of the coronavirus, and many hospitals have long lines.
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– As a result of the corona pandemic, many have suspended their treatments. We have to catch up now. Then we must use all the capacity to give people the treatment they need. So it is out of the question to reduce the capacity of the private sector. This is the recipe for increasing waiting times in the health service.
– Given that individuals are in the health service, can it drain the public sector of both professionals and resources?
– It is a hypothetical issue of the Labor Party that is far from reality. Conservatives want to strengthen public hospitals while using the capacity and diversity that private and nonprofit hospitals provide. The public health service will handle most of the treatments and will be attractive to health professionals.
Neither party is in favor of banning private hospitals.
– Labor believes she should only be allowed to choose differently if she has good enough advice, she says.
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– Starting to become a habit
APS health policy spokesperson Ingvild Kjerkol rejects the criticism and believes that it is the conservatives who are heartbroken.
– It’s becoming a habit for conservatives to highlight big words when they feel like they have a bad case. They did that when we criticized the increase in deductibles earlier this fall, and Holm Lønseth is doing it now, says Kjerkol, adding:
What is heartbreaking is creating a health service that prioritizes market access for private hospitals rather than treating patients well in public hospitals. Conservatives have made the slogan “patient health service” the service of private therapists, Kjerkol says.
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During the Solberg government, waiting times have been drastically reduced. But Kjerkol believes that what she calls a “privatization reform” has not contributed much.
– Even before the crown, waiting times were a problem. But the conservatives’ privatization reform hasn’t done much. Since 2017, wait times have increased, while the Conservatives have tripled their efforts and money spent on our common health budget.
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– Why is it that only those with thick wallets, like party leader Jonas Gahr Støre, who have regularly used private offers, can choose for themselves?
– The plan that the conservatives have introduced removes health professionals and staff from public hospitals and districts, and leads to the rejection of the offer of treatment for complicated disorders. It is the patients, especially those with serious illnesses and those who do not live in central East Norway, who lose out, he says.
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