Heightened Scrutiny and Human Costs: A Look at Helseplattformen’s Implementation
The sharp criticisms from the Riksrevisjonen regarding the rollout of Helseplattformen may have been unsettling, yet the seemingly untouchable leaders in healthcare pressed on as if nothing had happened.
In my observations from Helse Midt-Norge, several troubling episodes come to mind.
For instance, my own cancer check-up was postponed by six months during the platform’s introduction. Thankfully, all appears to be well now, but I can’t help but wonder how many others faced more dire consequences from such delays.
A friend of mine underwent brain surgery earlier this year and, after just a week in the hospital, was still struggling to regain his speech. Remarkably, he was advised to embark on a lengthy bus journey home, despite this predicament.
In another troubling case, a relative could not feed himself due to hand mobility issues, yet hospital staff failed to assist him for two days. His wife was forced to make the drive back and forth just to provide him with meals.
Now, the situation is set to worsen as a significant number of healthcare workers are facing layoffs.
The rationale behind these actions is painfully clear: hospitals are scrambling to cut costs to cover the exorbitant salaries of their executives, who seem blissfully removed from the financial strains impacting patient care.
With a disturbing blend of greed and a lack of ethics, healthcare leaders continue to shower each other with millions—sums far exceeding their needs—while the government stands idly by, failing to intervene and halt this madness. One has to ask, what use do they have for all that money?
I strongly encourage everyone to tune into Debatten (Millionfest i Helse-Norge) on NRK1 on October 9th to delve deeper into this pressing issue.