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Norwegian government announces increased GP funding

Frazer Norwell
Frazer Norwell - [email protected]
Norwegian government announces increased GP funding
Norway's governemnt has announced changes to how Norway's GP system is funded. Pictured is a doctor at work. Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

The GP system in Norway will be subject to a new funding model from the beginning of May, with the government also announcing new investment at a press conference on Tuesday.

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Some 200,000 patients in Norway are currently without a GP, according to Helfo figures from the beginning of March, with the government announcing a new funding model from May to try and ease the crisis with the country’s fastlege system.

“The GP scheme is the foundation of our health service. Over a long period of time, the foundation wall has cracked,” Minister of Health and Social Care, Ingvild Kjerkol, said at a government press conference on Tuesday.

READ ALSO: Why Norway's GP system has received a record number of complaints

At the press conference, the government also announced an additional 720 million kroner of funding for GPs this year.

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She also announced that the government would change how the current model is funded. Kjerkol said the government would pivot to a model where there would be more money available for doctors with elderly patients, female patients and those in rural districts with a lower educational background.

“The reason is that we know that these are groups that have a greater need for follow-up than the average,” Kjerkol explained.

Doctors working in rural areas would also receive larger grants, and those with more demanding workloads could accept fewer patients.

“The doctors with patients with large needs are paid more than those with smaller needs. Doctors with large needs can choose to have fewer patients on their list,” she said.

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