Investor goes public with cancer diagnosis

Stein Erik Hagen, long ranked as one of Norway’s wealthiest men, has more important things on his mind these days than the value of his stock portfolio or other investments. Hagen, age 55, was told last month that he has prostate cancer, and he’s easing the shock of the diagnosis by using it to mount [...]

Even more trouble for Oslo hospitals

State-run Oslo University Hospital, which encompasses some of the capital’s largest hospitals, already is facing severe budget pressure in the midst of a costly merger. Now another state agency, this one in charge of labour issues, is threatening to shut down parts of the hospitals because of their failure to correct workplace violations. An inspector [...]

Hospitals also put on E.coli alert

Norwegian hospitals were asked by state authorities on Tuesday to immediately report any suspicions of E.coli infections, after a man in Kristiansand was admitted to the southern coastal area’s main hospital and tested positive to the dangerous bacteria. Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) also reported that a small amount of cucumbers imported from Spain were found in [...]

State officials on E.coli alert

Norway’s state agency in charge of food safety (Mattilsynet) could initially report no sign of the dreaded E.coli bacteria that’s been causing sickness and even death in several other European countries in recent days. The Norwegian government’s protectionist limits on agricultural imports may help stem any outbreaks. That’s because most all of the cucumbers now [...]

Dentists subject to consumer drilling

An investigation by the Norwegian Consumer Council has exposed widespread irregularities among Norwegian dentists, who already have been under criticism for their high prices. Four test subjects visiting five dentists each received wildly different, and mostly incorrect, treatment options. Going to the dentist is an expensive exercise in Norway, prompting many Norwegians to seek treatment [...]

Adecco director resigns in scandal

The controversy surrounding illegal labour practices at public nursing homes run by employment firm Adecco Helse keeps growing, as further shocking revelations of labour law violations in several of the companies’ operations led to the resignation of Adecco Helse director Bård Kristiansen. Following a Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) investigation last week, which revealed that employees at Adecco [...]

State tackles new E-coli outbreak

Norwegian health authorities were sounding the alarms on Friday over what they now call a “national outbreak” of illness caused by the E-coli bacteria. Even though only three children have been diagnosed so far, they come from three different townships in three different counties. Two of the children are seriously ill with kidney ailments linked [...]

Tobacco giant takes Norway to court

A new law in Norway that forces retail outlets to hide tobacco products from public view now faces a major legal challenge from the world’s largest tobacco company. Newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) reports that US-based Philip Morris is filing suit against the Norwegian state, to force it to prove the law’s alleged health benefits. Norwegian [...]

More young smokers in Norway

After years of solid declines in the number of youngsters smoking in Norway, health authorities registered a slight increase last year. State statistics bureau SSB reported that 17 percent of young Norwegians surveyed said they smoked every day, up from 15 percent in 2008. Another 14 percent said they smoked “now and then.” The increase [...]

Nurses ordered back to work

Government officials determined that a strike by nurses at several private-sector nursing homes around the country posed a “danger to life and health,” and invoked compulsory arbitration between the Norwegian nurses’ union, Norsk Sykepleierforbund, and employers’ representative NHO Service. Labour Minister Hanne Bjurstrøm said she effectively was ordering the nurses back to work because the strike [...]