Minister of Health Bent Høie confirms that he has been in contact with his Swedish colleague, who has raised the possibility of borrowing Norwegian health personnel.
According to SVT, Minister of Social Affairs Lena Hallengren has been in contact with Norway and Sweden to discuss the possibility of borrowing health personnel.
Sweden is hard hit by the pandemic and has over ten times as many deaths per capita as Norway.
Hospital staff in the country expressed concern about the staffing situation before the summer.
“The clock is ticking. We need help,” David Konrad, the head of the operations and intensive care unit at Karolinska University Hospital, told SVT.
Dialogue
Last week, the organization Sweden’s Municipalities and Regions (SKR) asked the government to formally ask neighboring countries for help.
Hallengren says that a dialogue has been initiated.
“For me, it has been important that there is an agreement between Sweden, Denmark, and Norway that there are no criteria or agreements to be met, and that there are no obstacles that make it more difficult for Swedish regions to recruit (health personnel) this summer,” she said.
Confirms informal request
Minister of Health Bent Høie (H) confirms that his Swedish colleague has contacted him.
“I have had a conversation with my Swedish colleague Minister of Social Affairs Lena Hallengren when it comes to the issue, but we have not received a formal request from Sweden for Norwegian health personnel this summer,” he said.
“There is close and ongoing contact between Swedish and Norwegian health authorities on a number of issues, including the need for exchange of personnel and equipment,” Høie added.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
Do you have a news tip for Norway Today? We want to hear it. Get in touch at [email protected]
Leave a comment