Helse Nord must cut 576 million

Helse Nord must save 576 million kroner. Nordlandssykehuset and UNN (Universitetssykehuset Nord-Norge) must together cut their spending by 447 million kroner, according to NTB (NRK Nordland / Lofoten). Staff are the first affected. Nordlandssykehuset has notably proposed reducing the number of ambulances in several places in the county.

Meanwhile, Helse Nord has published a job ad to recruit an adviser in charge of international work. « Vil du arbeide i skjæringspunktet mellom internasjonalt samarbeid, helseberedskap og nordområdepolitikk ? » reads the ad. Kristian August Eilertsen (Frp), MP and member of the Storting health committee, reacts: he considers it paradoxical to hire a new bureaucrat for health preparedness while the cuts affect what actually delivers it (NRK Nordland / Lofoten).

At Nordlandssykehuset, a new division of tasks has brought down sick-leave absenteeism since 2025. Porters Eivind Stavem Aagnes and Anastasiia Kravtsova now prepare operating rooms, a task previously assigned to nurses. « We take all the little time-thieves », says Aagnes (NRK Nordland / Lofoten). The scheme is part of the national Tørn programme.