The waiting times for health services in Norway are declining and are approaching the pre-pandemic levels, new figures from the Norwegian Directorate of Health show.
Compared with May last year, waiting times have been reduced by eleven days, the Ministry of Health and Care Services stated on Friday.
“This is due to the fact that the first wave of infection first had a full effect on the waiting time figures from and including May last year. Then the hospitals began to pick up the activity that was postponed in March and April, and waiting times increased. We do not see a similar effect this year,” Minister of Health and Care Services Bent Høie (H) said.
“It may be the first sign that waiting times are approaching the level from before the pandemic,” he added.
“Significant effort”
According to the minister, the waiting time in mental health care and addiction treatment has not been significantly affected by the pandemic. At the same time, there has been an increase in demand, especially among children and young people.
“It testifies to a significant effort from those who work in these services,” he said.
The average waiting time in the specialist health service increased by one day in the first four months of 2021, compared with the same period in 2020.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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