Hospitals forced to slash costs (Aftenposten)

The central government takeover of the country’s hospitals, which were previously administered by the county authorities, could cost several thousand hospital workers their jobs next year. At Ullevål Hospital alone, 500-600 jobs will have to go, and the spectre of bankruptcy haunts another Oslo hospital, Diakonhjemmet. Ullevål Hospital’s chief executive describes the cuts as the worst ever to hit the Norwegian healthcare sector. The cuts will have an impact on all medical care which is not defined as emergency treatment. The Eastern Health Region alone is facing an imbalance of NOK 900 million. Health Minister Dagfinn Høybråten has repeated that the regional health authorities were created on the assumption that they would improve hospital efficiency.

Temperate demands (Dagsavisen)

The Progress Party wants NOK 10 billion and reductions in alcohol taxes in return for supporting the Government’s budget proposal. It will cost the Government NOK 10 billion to meet all the demands Progress Party deputy leader Siv Jensen handed over to the ruling coalition parties’ representatives in the Storting yesterday morning. "What we are doing is extremely temperate," said Ms Jensen when she handed over the party’s demands yesterday. "For that reason we expect to be taken seriously," she added. Ingebrigt Søfonn, economic policy spokesman for the Christian Democratic Party, described the demands as tough, and said there was a considerable distance between the two sides. "But at the same time both sides are making serious efforts to reach an agreement. The Government will do all it can to make it happen," he added.

Akselsen claims a pattern is emerging around Ludvigsen

Olav Akselsen (Lab), leader of the Storting’s Business and Industry Committee, claims that Fisheries Minister Svein Ludvigsen is indirectly tainted by the fact that his brother has been reported to the police for alleged fisheries fraud. "The first thing this man did was to close down the fisheries fraud phone line, then his State Secretary was obliged to resign because her company was involved in fisheries fraud. It raises questions about his ability and willingness to take these issues seriously," said Mr Akselsen.

Growing leadership row in Christian Democratic Party (Adresseavisen)

A majority of Christian Democratic Party branch chairmen want the leadership debate within the party to be extended to include the current chairperson, Valgerd Svarstad Haugland. Growing discontent is bubbling to the surface and Dagfinn Høybråten’s name is mentioned as the most suitable successor to Ms Svarstad Haugland. However, the issue is still extremely sensitive within the party. The selection committee has only just got underway. There is a deep reluctance to even admit the necessity of debating the performance of the party leader – not just who should be elected as deputy leaders.

Gjedrem took shine off Norwegian krone (Aftenposten)

It is risky to invest in Norwegian kroner, said Svein Gjedrem, Governor of the Norwegian Central Bank, whereupon the Norwegian exchange rate slumped and interest rates rose. Mr Gjedrem gave three speeches in Bergen yesterday and on Wednesday evening. During two of them he said that it was risky to hold Norwegian kroner instead of foreign currencies because the market for trading in Norwegian kroner is too small. This could lead to substantial losses on the sale of kroner "if something should happen which would indicate that it would be sensible to get out of Norwegian kroner". Thomas Ekeli, chief economist at Pareto Securities described Mr Gjedrem’s comments as an "astonishing warning". Mr Ekeli pointed out that Mr Gjedrem’s comments did not refer to a sensible long-term exchange rate, but rather to the fact that the market for Norwegian kroner is small.

Union bosses spend NOK 20 million on meetings and parties (Verdens Gang)

When the national conference of the Norwegian Union of Municipal Employees (NKF) draws to a close this afternoon and delegates return home, they will have spent a total of NOK 20 million. Or, to put it another way, about as much at the Crown Prince’s wedding last year cost. This works out at a cost per delegate of NOK 49,505 for the six-day conference, or NOK 8,251 per day for each of the 404 participants. The national conference in Oslo is more than just negotiations, documents and the singing of traditional workers’ anthems. Presents, simultaneous interpretation for the various foreign guests and restaurant visits are also on the programme. The NKF’s 232,000 members get to foot the bill.

SAS to cut back sharply until 2005 (Dagsavisen)

SAS, the Scandinavian airline, has announced plans for new and substantial cuts in the period up to 2005. Several thousand employees will be made redundant, 40 aircraft will be grounded, and a number of routes will be axed. "Everyone must make an effort if SAS is to survive," said Siv Meisingseth, a spokeswoman for SAS. She blames a drop in passenger numbers in the coming winter season.

Stein Erik Hagen accused of abusing his power (Dagens Næringsliv)

Knut Hartvig Johannson (65), chairman of Norgesgruppen, says it is tasteless of Stein Erik Hagen to mix his role as head of the Rimi supermarket chain with that of shareholder in Orkla, a major supplier of food and beverages. Mr Johannson has turned down a number of lucrative offers to acquire his company, which would have given his family billions of kroner in profits.

Worth Noting

• Asked whether he would ever participate in a government which also included Progress Party chairman Carl I. Hagen, Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik replied with an unqualified "no". And he does not see anything to indicate that the Christian Democrats would be prepared to enter into a coalition with the Progress Party after the 2005 general election either.
  (Aftenposten)
• The Progress Party has demanded major cuts in transfers to the agricultural sector in its proposed changes to the Government’s national budget for next year. "Agriculture is an area in which we are proposing major cuts, but we will include a severance package so farmers are not left without a leg to stand on over night," said the Progress Party’s Siv Jensen.
  (Nationen)
• "Blitz is not for sale," was the slogan at a general meeting of young people who use the controversial youth centre in Oslo on Thursday night. Earlier in the day the Oslo City Council had let slip plans to sell the building to private developers.
  (Aftenposten)
• Gry Larsen (28), newly elected leader of the Labour Party’s youth wing (AUF) believes the party’s problem is that it has too many self-absorbed men in high places. Ms Larsen has therefore breathed new life into the debate about whether the Labour Party was full of old fogeys which started in February this year when Anniken Huitfeldt and Thorbjørn Berntsen clashed in a discussion about an aged party leadership and compulsory dancing.
  (Dagbladet)
• Second generation immigrants are more ambitious than Norwegian students, according to a comprehensive survey of upper secondary school students. Immigrants apply primarily to those institutions which provide the highest academic education.
  (Aftenposten)
• Police bodyguards have each worked on average almost 1,000 hours of overtime looking after the royal family and government ministers. The Oslo Police District has now put a complete ban on overtime working for the rest of the year.
  (Verdens Gang)

Today’s comment from Dagbladet

A report by the Office of the Auditor General shows that muddle and a lack of coordination between the Health Ministry and the county authorities’ plans have delayed the intended improvement in the provision of psychiatric care. Another report was published a month ago which showed that on average mental health professionals working with children and young people with psychiatric problems only see one patient per day – in a situation in which 10,000 patients are on waiting lists for treatment. In the months before that, Dagbladet had published numerous articles which revealed that the waiting time for psychiatric treatment was getting longer and longer, despite increased funding and despite the fact that this is the Health Minister’s most important area of focus. The situation should keep Health Minister Dagfinn Høybråten awake at night. He was also Health Minister when the Storting decided in 1998 to increase allocations to this sector by NOK 24 billion over an eight-year period. Both on the basis of his personal insight and as leader of the coordinating ministry, he should have kept a firmer grip on the progress of this project than the reports indicate he has done. We do not doubt Mr Høybråten’s good intentions and sincerity. But he must crack the whip harder over the civil servants and professional bodies concerned to get things moving. Inefficiency and slow progress are evidence of a system full of bottlenecks. Mr Høybråten should ensure that key individuals on his own staff identify themselves more with the needs of psychiatric patients than those of the healthcare professionals. Civil servants, doctors and psychologists will not suffer irreparable damage if they are obliged to improve the way they organize their work.