After weeks of noisy protests over controversial plans to restructure hospital services in Northern Norway, state hospital agency Helse Nord withdrew the plans in response to criticism also from its board of directors. Changes still loom, however, because of staffing shortages and tight budgets.
It’s at least a temporary victory, however, for local residents especially in Lofoten, where the plans called for cuts at their only hospital in Gravdal. Demonstrators had marched for weeks to protest closure, for example, of the hospital’s maternity ward.
A new restructuring plan is already in the works, according to Helse Nord’s managing director Marit Lind, who also acknowledged criticism from her superiors who claimed some proposals were not adequately clarified or grounded.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
