– The case has a high priority with us, says communications manager Liv Aasta Ødegaard at the State Administrator NRK.
Norway’s new rescue helicopters, which were taken into use in September last year, are too large to land at the emergency hospital’s landing sites. In November last year, the helicopters could only land at six of the country’s 21 emergency hospitals.
The union representative for OUS chief physician Erik Høiskar and chief physician Nils Oddvar Skaga, who earlier this year sent a report of concern about the matter.
With today’s temporary solution, helicopters must land some distance from the hospital. The solution has been approved by the municipality, the government and the police, but the doctors believe the solution delays treatment by between 15 and 30 minutes, and can be critical for some patients.
Helse-Sør øst does not recognize itself in the criticism that they have not done their job.
– A lot of thorough work has been done to put in place landing sites for the new helicopters, says communications director Gunn Kristin Sande to the national broadcaster.
According to the Ministry of Justice, the landing sites could not be adapted until the helicopters were in place. The plan is for the new helicopters to be able to land at Ullevål and Rikshospitalet in two years.
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