Norwegians donate millions to the hospitals

Østfold Hospital Kalnes, Sarpsborg.Photo: Cornelius Poppe / NTB scanpix
Norwegian public hospitals receive more and larger donations from individuals.
Last year, Norwegians gave a  total  NOK 36 million in personal donations to hospitals in the four regional health authorities,  the newspaper Aftenposten writes. The amount of the donations to the hospitals varies from a few hundred NOK to over 6 million. Children and cancer departments receive the largest amount of most money.
Traditionally, only a small number of donations have been made in Norway, compared to other countries, but this is about to change,  researcher Karl Henrik Sivesind at the Institute for Social Research believes.
– We have been a volunteer nation but have not had a strong tradition for donations. Some of the  local institutions have benefitted from a great level of commitment and involvement from the locals, but there has been a higher threshold for volunteerism and fundraising to hospitals. However, I have heard an increasing number of stories that indicate this is about to change, he says to Aftenposten.
One of the largest single gifts that were given last year,was the 1.5 million kroner collected for the hospital in Ålesund by the  mothers of toddlers Liv-Tone Ulstein Brunstad and Anette Iren Myklebust Haram . They were grateful for the hospital’s efforts and wanted to give something in return.
– We are incredibly grateful for this commitment. We give a good and adequate service today, but this means that we can go an extra mile, s Dr. Elisabeth Siebke at the hospital said.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today