Patient trips on offer – altaposten.no
A few years ago, NRK Dagsrevyen had a lookup about patients at hospitals in Oslo who had to wait for 2 (two) hours on a taxi after the hospital visit was over. Two hours! An eternity for the patients!
Yes, I agree that it should be unnecessary to wait two hours to get home after a visit to the hospital. However, two hours of waiting is far from the reality that many patients in Finnmark have to wait after a visit to the hospital. Whether it is UNN in Tromsø or Hammerfest hospital.
For many, the airport is the only option for the waiting. And then it is frustrating to see more aircraft with vacant seats take off in the direction of Alta (14.50, 17.00, 20.50 and 21.00). Just for the state to save a few hundred patches on the journey to sick patients.
And yet those who live in Alta are lucky. We get back and forth in under one day. Patients from areas further away, may have to spend the night and pay hotels at their own expense. At best, they will be refunded kr. 711,- at a hotel accommodation where the market price may be at NOK. 3-5000,-. And in addition, we talk here in a day when the weather is good!
The challenge with time and costly travels for patients has repeatedly been addressed in the Storting in the form of written questions about the Minister of Health and Care from Irene Ojala (patient focus). Blue. 20.02.2025 and 14.08.2024 (Check the links to see the questions and answers). The answers from the minister show a scary broadcast in the work to do something about the problem. In his response 21.08.2024, he points out that a regulatory change was made for patient travel during the fall of 2024. The assignment was provided by the Storting in April 2018 and repeated February 2021. Autumn 2024 has long been past, and nothing has happened.
It should not be difficult to create a regulatory framework for patient travel that states that patients should have the fastest and most practical transport to and from hospital lessons; And not necessarily the cheapest. All real costs (eg accommodation) should be fully covered!
Do you need to make it difficult?
The Minister of Health must arrange a regulatory framework for patient travel as soon as possible. Then patient travel can not offer travel arrangements from TEMU!
Øyvind Seljeseth, Alta
