Regional Health Authority
Encyclopedia
A regional health authority ( or RHF) is a state enterprise responsible for specialist healthcare in one of four regions of Norway
. Responsibilities of the RHFs include patient treamtment, education of medical staff, research and training of patients and relatives. Areas covered by the authorities are hospital
s, psychiatry
, ambulance
service, operation of pharmacies
at the hospitals, emergency telephone number
and laboratories
. The actual performance is done by subsidiary health trust
s (HF) that usually consist of one or more hospitals, with associate responsibilities. The authorities are subordinate to the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services
.
. At the time there were created five authorities, but the Southern and Eastern Norway authorities were merged in 2007. The reform was credited to the Minister of Health
, Tore Tønne
(Labour
) who only held office for one and a half years. The ultimate goal of the reform was to increase the effectiveness of the hospitals and reduce the cost of the specialist healthcare service, that in 2007 had an annual budget of NOK
114 billion, about 14% of the state budget
.
and the Aker Group
and the reform attempted to introduce corporate governance
and to a certain degree public tender into the health care system of Norway. This has been criticised as being market fundamentalism
, as the system was inteded to take all decisions entirely on economic grounds. This was partially escalated by the initial decision to not have any politician
s on the boards of the authorities and trusts, thus entirely removing control of the healthcare services from political bodies. Because all decisions were taken by the boards, and not by elected political bodies, entire hospitals could be closed without political resolution. The Second cabinet Stoltenberg
has partially changed this policy by electing politicians onto the boards of the authorities.
Other criticism has been directed at the organisational form of the authorities. In essence the reform created more layers of administration (government - regional health authority - health trust - hospital), where there formerly only two (county and hospital). Also, the administrations of the authorities were places in towns outside the major regional centres, places that sometimes didn't even have a hospital, making recruitment of management difficult. This has partially been criticised as directors' wage
s have escalated to the level of corporate directors. The authorities have also, through cutbacks in government funding, accumulated large amounts of debt
.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Responsibilities of the RHFs include patient treamtment, education of medical staff, research and training of patients and relatives. Areas covered by the authorities are hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
s, psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
, ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
service, operation of pharmacies
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
at the hospitals, emergency telephone number
Emergency telephone number
Many countries' public telephone networks have a single emergency telephone number, sometimes known as the universal emergency telephone number or occasionally the emergency services number, that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assistance. The emergency telephone number may...
and laboratories
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
. The actual performance is done by subsidiary health trust
Health Trust
Health trust or HF is a health enterprise owned by one of the four regional health authority in Norway, with responsibility for performing a geographic and/or specialist activities of operations on behalf of the regional health authority. There are 43 HFs in Norway, each led by a board of...
s (HF) that usually consist of one or more hospitals, with associate responsibilities. The authorities are subordinate to the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services
Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services is a Norwegian government ministry in charge of health policy, public health, health care services and health legislation in Norway....
.
Health reform
The authorities were created on January 1, 2002 when the Government of Norway took over the responsibilities of the hospitals from the countiesCounties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
. At the time there were created five authorities, but the Southern and Eastern Norway authorities were merged in 2007. The reform was credited to the Minister of Health
Minister of Health and Care Services (Norway)
The Norwegian Minister of Health and Care Services is the head of the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services. The position has existed since 1 January 2002, when the Ministry of Health was created...
, Tore Tønne
Tore Tønne
Tore Tønne was the Norwegian Minister of Health and Social Affairs 2000-2001 in the first cabinet Stoltenberg. Tønne committed suicide after newspaper writings about investigations over alleged economic improprieties committed after the conclusion of his term in the Norwegian cabinet...
(Labour
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
) who only held office for one and a half years. The ultimate goal of the reform was to increase the effectiveness of the hospitals and reduce the cost of the specialist healthcare service, that in 2007 had an annual budget of NOK
Norwegian krone
The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...
114 billion, about 14% of the state budget
State budget of Norway
The State budget of Norway is a budget passed by the Norwegian legislature, Storting, each year. It accumulates all income and expenses for the Government of Norway. The document defines the taxes to be collected, and what expenses will be accomplished....
.
Criticism
There has been some criticism of the health reform in Norway. Mr. Tønne was a corporate manager from StatoilStatoil
Statoil ASA is a Norwegian petroleum company established in 1972. It merged with Norsk Hydro in 2007 and was known as StatoilHydro until 2009, when the name was changed back to Statoil ASA. The brand Statoil was retained as a chain of fuel stations owned by StatoilHydro...
and the Aker Group
Aker ASA
Aker ASA is a Norwegian holding company engaged in offshore fishing, construction and engineering. The company is listed on Oslo Stock Exchange and is controlled by Kjell Inge Røkke with 66.66% ownership through TRG Holding...
and the reform attempted to introduce corporate governance
Corporate governance
Corporate governance is a number of processes, customs, policies, laws, and institutions which have impact on the way a company is controlled...
and to a certain degree public tender into the health care system of Norway. This has been criticised as being market fundamentalism
Market fundamentalism
Market fundamentalism is a pejorative term applied to a strong belief in the ability of laissez-faire or free market economic views or policies to solve economic and social problems....
, as the system was inteded to take all decisions entirely on economic grounds. This was partially escalated by the initial decision to not have any politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
s on the boards of the authorities and trusts, thus entirely removing control of the healthcare services from political bodies. Because all decisions were taken by the boards, and not by elected political bodies, entire hospitals could be closed without political resolution. The Second cabinet Stoltenberg
Second cabinet Stoltenberg
Stoltenberg's Second Cabinet is the current government of Norway. Appointed on 17 October 2005, it is a coalition between the Labour Party, the Socialist Left Party and the Centre Party, known as the Red–Green Coalition. The cabinet has ten members from the Labour Party, five from the Socialist...
has partially changed this policy by electing politicians onto the boards of the authorities.
Other criticism has been directed at the organisational form of the authorities. In essence the reform created more layers of administration (government - regional health authority - health trust - hospital), where there formerly only two (county and hospital). Also, the administrations of the authorities were places in towns outside the major regional centres, places that sometimes didn't even have a hospital, making recruitment of management difficult. This has partially been criticised as directors' wage
Wage
A wage is a compensation, usually financial, received by workers in exchange for their labor.Compensation in terms of wages is given to workers and compensation in terms of salary is given to employees...
s have escalated to the level of corporate directors. The authorities have also, through cutbacks in government funding, accumulated large amounts of debt
Debt
A debt is an obligation owed by one party to a second party, the creditor; usually this refers to assets granted by the creditor to the debtor, but the term can also be used metaphorically to cover moral obligations and other interactions not based on economic value.A debt is created when a...
.
Authorities and subsidiaries
- Central Norway Regional Health AuthorityCentral Norway Regional Health AuthorityCentral Norway Regional Health Authority is a state-owned Regional Health Authority responsible for operating the hospitals in the counties of Nord-Trøndelag, Sør-Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal in Norway. Based in Stjørdal, the authority operates five health trusts that operate nine hospitals...
- Central Norway Pharmaceutical TrustCentral Norway Pharmaceutical TrustCentral Norway Pharmaceutical Trust is a health trust owned by Central Norway Regional Health Authority that operates four hospital pharmacies at St. Olavs Hospital in Trondheim, Kristiansund Hospital, Molde Hospital and Ålesund Hospital. The pharmacies are part of the Ditt Apotek chain and use...
- Nordmøre and Romsdal Hospital Trust
- Nord-Trøndelag Hospital TrustNord-Trøndelag Hospital TrustNord-Trøndelag Health Trust is a health trust that is subordinate to the Central Norway Regional Health Authority that operates the public specialist health care in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway....
- St. Olav's Hospital Trust
- Sunnmøre Hospital Trust
- Central Norway Pharmaceutical Trust
- Northern Norway Regional Health AuthorityNorthern Norway Regional Health AuthorityNorthern Norway Regional Health Authority is, in population, the smallest of the four Regional Health Authorities in Norway. It covers the counties of Finnmark, Nordland and Troms...
- Finnmark Hospital Trust
- Helgeland Hospital Trust
- Hålogaland Hospital Trust
- Nordland Hospital Trust
- Northern Norway Pharmaceutical TrustNorthern Norway Pharmaceutical TrustHospital Pharmacy of North Norway Trust is a health trust owned by Northern Norway Regional Health Authority that operates six hospital pharmacies...
- University Hospital of North Norway
- Southern and Eastern Norway Regional Health AuthoritySouthern and Eastern Norway Regional Health AuthoritySouthern and Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority is the largest of the four Regional Health Authorities in Norway. It covers the counties of Akershus, Aust-Agder, Buskerud, Hedmark, Oppland, Oslo, Telemark, Vest-Agder, Vestfold and Østfold...
- Aker University Hospital TrustAker University HospitalAker University Hospital was founded in 1895 in Oslo, Norway. From January 1, 2009, the hospital is part of the Oslo University Hospital.Since January 2002 the hospital is organized as a health trust that is fully owned by Southern and Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority and which also is...
- Blefjell Hospital Trust
- Akershus University Hospital Trust
- The New Akershus University Hospital Trust
- Hospital of Asker and Bærum Trust
- Buskerud Hospital Trust
- Innlandet Hospital Trust
- Psychiatry of Vestfold TrustPsychiatry of Vestfold TrustPsychiatry of Vestfold Trust is Norway's only health trust which deals solely with psychiatric issues and is based in Vestfold.The psychiatry in Vestfold was separated from Vestfold Hospital in 2000 and is organised in the following sections:...
- Rikshospitalet-Radiumhospitalet TrustRikshospitalet-Radiumhospitalet HFRikshospitalet–Radiumhospitalet Hospital Trust was created in 2005 when Rikshospitalet merged with the Norwegian Radium Hospital. The trust belongs to the Southern and Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority....
- Ringerike Hospital Trust
- Southern and Eastern Norway Pharmaceutical TrustSouthern and Eastern Norway Pharmaceutical TrustSouthern and Eastern Norway Pharmaceutical Trust is a health trust owned by Southern and Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority that operates nineteen hospital pharmacies...
- Hospital of Southern Norway Trust
- Sunnaas Hospital Trust
- Sykehuspartner
- Telemark Hospital Trust
- Ullevål University Hospital TrustUllevål University HospitalUllevaal, Oslo University Hospital was opened in 1887. From January 1, 2009, the hospital is part of the Oslo University Hospital.Ullevål has more than 8,600 employees. 940 of them are doctors and 2,400 nurses. With a total of 1,200 beds Ullevål, admits some 45,000 patients per year and its...
- Vestfold Hospital Trust
- Østfold Hospital Trust
- Aker University Hospital Trust
- Western Norway Regional Health AuthorityWestern Norway Regional Health AuthorityWestern Norway Regional Health Authority is a state-owned Regional Health Authority responsible for operating the hospitals in the counties of Rogaland, Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane in Norway. Based in Stavanger the authority operates five health trusts that operate nine hospitals...
- Bergen Health Trust
- Fonna Health TrustFonna Health TrustFonna Health Trust administrates hospitals and institutions in Haugaland, Sunnhordland and parts of Hardanger. Fonna Health Trust is one of five local health trusts which make up Helse Vest...
- Førde Health TrustFørde Health TrustFørde Health Trust administrates hospitals and institutions in Sogn og Fjordane, and is owned by the national Helse Vest.Førde Health Trust was founded in 2002, and took control of the hospitals and psychiatric institutions from the municipality of Sogn og Fjordane as part of the national health...
- Stavanger Health TrustStavanger Health TrustStavanger Health Trust mainly administrates Stavanger University Hospital as well as local clinics and institutions around Rogaland. The trust was formed on 1 January 2002 as a result of the national health reforms and is owned by the regional health trust Helse Vest RHF....
- Western Norway Pharmaceutical TrustWestern Norway Pharmaceutical TrustWestern Norway Pharmaceutical Trust is a health trust owned by Western Norway Regional Health Authority that operates four hospital pharmacies at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Stavanger Hospital, Haugesund Hospital and Førde Hospital. The pharmacies are part of the Ditt Apotek chain and...