Historic investment in our shared health service

News story | Date: 16/10/2024 | Ministry of Health and Care Services

Health is one of the primary investment areas in the proposed national budget for 2025. Among other things, the Norwegian government is proposing to increase funding for hospitals by NOK 5.5 billion compared to the balanced budget for 2024. You would have to go back to 2008 to find the closest comparable increase in an ordinary state budget. In addition, NOK 6.4 billion is proposed for investment loans for hospital buildings, a further NOK 400 million for mental health, and 1,500 new round-the-clock care places in elderly care facilities.

“My most important task is ensuring that people throughout the country have access to high-quality health services when they need them. I’m proud that the government is prioritising reducing waiting times, modernising hospital buildings, stepping up efforts relating to mental health, and ensuring a safe old age for our elderly,” says Jan Christian Vestre, Minister of Health and Care Services.

The most important measures in the government’s proposed budget for the health and care sector in 2025:

Hospital operating allocations	Increasing by NOK 5.5 billion
Reform on living safely at home	NOK 325 million for 2025 (NOK 3.25 billion in commitment framework)
Escalation plan for mental health, and prevention and treatment reform in the area of substance abuse	NOK 400 million
Loan allocation for new large hospital projects in Bergen, Stavanger, and Kristiansand.	NOK 80 million in 2025 for new projects (investment loans for ongoing and new projects of approximately NOK 6.4 billion in 2025)
New measures for the women’s health strategy	NOK 13 million
The Tromsø survey	NOK 20 million
Vaccination programme for adults and risk groups, including reminder scheme	NOK 12.3 million
Health technology, innovation, and analysis platform	NOK 40 million (including NOK 10 million from the Ministry of Education’s budget)
Men in health and “Jobbvinner”: better recruitment and promotion of skilled workers	NOK 12 million
Shared professional system and data platform for supervisory authorities	NOK 11 million