Øystein Mæland, the former Labour (Arbeiderpartiet, Ap) politician and police director was announced on Tuesday as the new chief executive of the embattled Akershus University Hospital (Ahus). Mæland’s appointment is part of an overhaul of the seriously troubled hospital’s management, after the former CEO quit last year and the previous board was thrown out last month.
Mæland, a qualified psychiatrist, is currently the assistant director at the Norwegian Directorate of Health (Helsedirektoratet) reported Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK). He previously headed the psychiatry department at the Ullevål University Hospital (Ullevål universitetssykehus) and the mental health and substance abuse clinic at Oslo University Hospital (Oslo universitetssykehus). He resigned as head of police after criticism directed at the force following the July 22 terror attacks.
The former Ahus CEO Hulda Gunnlaugsdottir quit last October with immediate effect. There had been disagreement with nurses over staffing weekend shifts, and the hospital faced many other serious issues including capacity problems and a deficit of about NOK 300 million (USD 50 million). The board was also replaced in late March, and the first task of the new board under chairman Per Christian Voss was to find a new chief executive.
“Øystein Mæland knows the Norwegian health system very well and has himself worked as a psychiatrist, he has led psychiatry at Oslo University Hospital, and he has had important leadership responsibilities as police director and now assistant health director,” said Voss. “Meanwhile, Øystein Mæland has deep community understanding and political understanding as a former state secretary in several Ap governments.”
newsinenglish.no staff
