Nine out of ten small municipalities without psychologist
There is hardly any small municipalities in Norway with full-fledged psychologist deals. The Municipalities reform may be a part of the solution, according to the government.
In total there are 225 municipalities with fewer than 5,000 residents in Norway, and only 29 of these have psychologists on their payroll, according to a survey from the National Centre for mental health, according to the newspaper Klassekampen.
In comparison, almost all the large municipalities have psychologists on their payroll. This is the case in 50 of the 55 municipalities and districts with more than 20,000 residents.
– This is an illustration of a health political class divide, says Minister of Municipalities Jan Tore Sanner said.
He considers the situation to be serious and says that anyone might be in need of help from a pyschologist at some point and that mental challenges may affect everyone. The municipalities reform of the government is a part of the solution, he said.
Source: NTB scanpic / Norway Today