Norwegian politics, Politics | Vedum celebrated the maternity ward with soft cake – now the doors are closed

For a number of years, Molde and Kristiansund have argued over where the new hospital should be located. The solution was Hjelset, two miles outside Molde.

That did not calm the mood and to date, it has caused great discord over whether Kristiansund should keep the maternity ward.

Eighteen months ago, the Storting took the unusual step of asking the government to instruct Helse Midt-Norge to ensure continued operation of the maternity ward. To the great joy of the “Bunads guerrillas”. The action group fights against the closure of maternity services in the districts.

Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Sp) has personally invested a lot of prestige in this matter and visited the maternity ward at the latest on 24 June with cake and laughter.

– I have spent quite a lot of time at Kristiansund hospital, he said enthusiastically Demands of the times and.

He had spent so much time that the government sent NOK 25 million directly to the department.

– I am glad that we were able to prioritize funds. It is completely unique. It is the only hospital that has received funds directly, said Vedum to the local newspaper.

Now the laughter has stopped. The Center Party, which a year ago sniffed in the 20s, was in the July polls at an average of 6.2 percent – less than half the election result.

In case after case, about reversing reforms and dissolving larger units, the party and the government face opposition.

– We will build up, not down, Vedum promised the “Bunads guerrilla” in Hurdal.

But that doesn’t seem to be the case

It has not been possible to get enough qualified gynecologists to Kristiansund hospital.

– The last 18 months have been extremely demanding. With the smallest possible margin, we managed to stay open five days a week before the summer, says CEO of Helse Møre og Romsdal, Øyvind Bakke, to Nettavisen.

Helse Møre og Romsdal is a healthcare company established in 2011, which is owned by the Norwegian state through Helse Midt-Norge.

Director: – Not professionally responsible

The maternity ward at Kristiansund Hospital was to open on 25 July, after being closed for the summer. But towards the end of July, Tidens Krav reported that the opening is postponed indefinitely.

There have been a number of proposals for how the health organization can recruit midwives and gynecologists to the maternity ward. According to Bakke, giving a group of doctors higher salaries can have major negative consequences.

– It is not professionally sound to reopen now. We lack gynaecologists, he replies – and adds that there is a shortage of this professional group both nationally and internationally.

Bakke says an enormous effort has been made to achieve the instructions from the Storting, about which he means this:

– It is particularly challenging when the Storting puts so much pressure on keeping one department open. It creates expectations, but ultimately it is my responsibility to ensure that the offer is sound.

He says this with a great sigh.

– We have just under 2,500 births annually in Møre og Romsdal. The births are distributed among a women’s clinic in Ålesund and three maternity wards including Kristiansund. It is clear that it is challenging to recruit both gynecologists and midwives to so many departments.

– It is perfectly safe to give birth in Molde

Bakke believes that for the vast majority of employees, the most important thing now is to get a clear answer to what happens next.

– Traveling one hour to Molde to give birth – is that a reasonable offer?

– Yes, we follow those giving birth with a long journey close to the trip to Molde.

Since February 2021, all births have taken place in Molde. At the same time, the company has had good follow-up services with a midwife for the pregnant women with the longest journey.

As of 31 July 2022, there are 372 births in Nordmøre and Romsdal.

– Have you given up on giving birth in the maternity ward in Kristiansund?

– The way it looks now, with the experiences of the last 18 months, I don’t quite see how it can be done.

Means The “Bunads guerrilla” is wrong

Bakke rejects the criticism from the “Bunadsgeriljaen”, who are asking for both more job advertisements and higher wages. He does not want that development.

– I think it is demanding if we were to have large salary differences between the hospitals in the county. My experience is that large wage differences create fertile ground for dissatisfaction, but at the same time there have also been no wage requirements that have prevented recruitment in Kristiansund. We have frequent job advertisements, but unfortunately we have not recruited a single gynecologist through this form of advertising. Our experience is that we recruit through networks and to some extent foreign recruitment agencies.

– What can be a solution to this long-standing dispute?

– We have given feedback in our management line, which is HMN. I expect that they will report to the ministry what we have done in this very demanding case, the director replies to Nettavisen.

Representative: – Absurd

Nettavisen has spoken to acting chief shop steward for the senior doctors at the hospital in Kristiansund, Ralph Herter.

– It is a huge problem to get hold of permanent senior doctors in gynecology at the maternity ward, says Herter, and adds:

– It was initially a project that was incredibly successful. That everything is going to collapse, and that the department is going to be closed because you don’t want to use substitutes, is completely absurd, says Herter.

Nettavisen has also spoken to the main shop steward at the hospital in Kristiansund, Kari-Anne Thygesen.

– It is very difficult that the maternity ward is closed again. It affects everyone. It is hard for the midwives and nurses to go to work. But there is little we can do. It is an uncertain situation, and one thinks a lot about what is going to happen. The health authority is working hard to get it open again, she says.

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