Torstein Lerhol is a 32-year-old politician for the Center Party who hopes to become the next mayor of Vang, a scenic mountain municipality in Oppland County. He weighs less than 40 pounds and lies in a wheelchair, but doesn’t see that as a problem. “I have joked that the only tasks I don’t think I’ll […]
Government halts nurses’ strike
November 20, 2018
Labour Minister Anniken Hauglie of the Conservative Party felt compelled on Tuesday to order compulsory arbitration in a wage conflict between private health care firms and striking nurses. That will also halt a lockout Wednesday that would have prohibited all nurses at targeted facilities from going to work. The national nurses’ union (Norsk Sykepleierforbund) had […]
NHO imposes lockout against striking nurses
November 15, 2018
National employers’ organization NHO took the unusual step on Thursday of declaring a lockout against striking nurses at privately run health care facilities. The nurses have been on strike since October 25, and now accuse NHO of trying to force public authorities to end the strike. Local or state authorities can step in if life […]
Cancer rate highest in Rogaland
October 31, 2018
More than 33,000 people were diagnosed with cancer in Norway last year, according to new statistics from the state cancer register (Kreftregister). The county where the most incidences of cancer were recorded was Rogaland on the West Coast. The total of new cancer diagnoses nationwide was 33,564, bringing the total number of people living with […]
Norwegians urged to ‘be prepared’
October 25, 2018
Norway’s state directorate in charge of security and preparedness (DSB) has launched a campaign urging Norwegians to be prepared for a crisis. Last summer’s drought and some recent major storms have set off warnings that Norwegians should be able to cope without electricity, water and communications for at least 72 hours. “We live in a […]
More rape victims are seeking help
October 8, 2018
Just days after the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced a Peace Prize that boosts awareness of sexual violence, comes news that rape remains a major problem in Norway itself. New statistics show a strong increase in the numbers of women seeking help from health centers that receive victims and can secure evidence of their alleged assaults. […]
Hospital protests break out in Oslo
September 13, 2018
Reality is setting in for Oslo-area residents and their political representatives, that they face losing their biggest local hospital. The state plans to phase out and then shut down Ullevål University Hospital, a sprawling, historic health care institution that’s played a huge role in many Norwegians’ lives, and send all its patients to expanded and […]
Debate erupts over cuts in sick pay
September 11, 2018
Employees in Norway can currently call in sick and still collect full pay, with a doctor’s evaluation only required after three days away from work. Now a Member of Parliament from the Conservative Party wants to cut sick pay benefits, setting off immediate objections from the opposition. “This comes like a gift to us,” declared […]
Survey reveals student loneliness
August 22, 2018
A new health survey of Norwegian college and university students reveals that fully 30 percent admit to being lonely and feeling like outsiders in new school environments. They also miss having someone to talk to. School started this week all over the country, and the media is full of stories about students settling in to […]
Christian Democrats attack free heroin plan
August 10, 2018
Norwegian Health Minister Bent Høie of the Conservative Party is planning to launch a pilot program aimed at saving the lives of drug addicts by simply providing them with free heroin. The Christian Democrats were quick to attack the plan, equating it to giving up on efforts for rehabilitation. “It’s sad if people addicted to […]
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