The restaurants are empty, tens of thousands have been laid off and we have been asked to limit the number of close contacts.
– There is an increased risk that we get very many sick people as a result of a sharp increase in infection in the weeks ahead – it can lead to an overload of the health service.
That was the reason for Jonas Gahr Støre at a press conference on 13 December when he introduced strict measures that were to last for four weeks.
Doctor and researcher at the Department of Health and Society at UiO Mette Kalager questions the proportionality of the measures.
– CLOSED AGAIN: Restaurants and bars have to close again, due to government action. Photo: Aage Aune / TV 2
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Has contingency plans for 1,200 intensive care patients
– There are no good answers to the proportionality assessment. We do not know how they compare, for example, increasing preparedness, says Kalager.
The health service has the opportunity to increase its preparedness, if there is a need for it. Early in the pandemic, the health trusts were asked to make plans to scale up capacity.
The conclusion was that the health trusts together could scale up to 1200 possible intensive care patients. Today, there are 92 in the intensive care unit in Norway.
TV 2 has collected figures from all four health regions that show how many intensive care units they have, and how many plans have been made for them to scale up to, in connection with the corona pandemic.
Health preparedness in Norway
Health Central
- Intensive care places available: 38
- Can scale up to: 195
- Intensive care patients with corona hospitalized per 7 January: 2
Health North
- Intensive care places available: 26
- Can scale up to: 80
- Intensive care patients with corona hospitalized per 7 January: 2
Health West
- Intensive care available: 57
- Can scale up to: 294
- Intensive care patients with corona hospitalized per 7 January: 18
Health South-East
- Intensive care available: 157
- Can scale up to: 700
- Intensive care patients with corona hospitalized per 7 January: 70
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– The health trusts say that they can receive over a thousand patients, but the politicians argue with a few hundred. It is reprehensible to shut down a society instead of using the capacity the health trusts say they have, says Kalager to TV 2.
– I thought it was a bit strange that priority is given to implementing measures for the entire population when it is to be able to increase capacity.
She responds in particular to the lack of transparency around the assessments.
– It is quite far between 100 and 1200. How far can you go without going beyond other patients for example, and for how long? All these things we must get answers to, because otherwise it will be completely impossible for us to understand how the authorities prioritize.
– Mette Kalager, doctor and professor at the Department of Health and Society at UiO, asks questions about emergency preparedness. Photo: Marte Christensen / TV 2
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Should re-prioritize
The contingency plans have not been implemented yet. The argument from the health authorities is that it will go beyond other patients.
– Today, there are very many who should have treatment for things that have nothing to do with covid and do, who get postponements. They will get health problems from it, said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre to TV 2 on Friday.
– Do you think that one should start retrieving and re-prioritizing, even if it means that operations and the like are postponed?
– Yes, definitely. I absolutely mean that. One must keep in mind that it is most of the healthy. Most people in the country do not need hospital admissions and still most do not get covid. So we have to start finding that balance there, says Kalager.
Do not understand where the number comes from
But there is disagreement as to whether the number of 1,200 intensive care patients is actually real. Leader of the nurses’ association, Lill Sverresdatter-Larsen, believes the number is taken from thin air.
– We have tried to find out where the 13th century comes from, but no one really knows.
In a normal situation, we have around 270 intensive care units in Norwegian hospitals.
– Already the capacity has exploded. Therefore, we have tried to understand where 1200 comes from. It may be an extreme situation where you do nothing else. If you end up in an accident, you will not have an intensive care unit to get to, says Sverresdatter-Larsen.
Health director Bjørn Guldvog says that at present they do not relate to the plans for 1200 intensive care units.
– Why put this number if it is not realistic?
– LESS CAPACITY: Health Director Bjørn Guldvog believes the more realistic number is 600 intensive care patients. Photo: Goran Jorganovich / TV 2
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– It is not a number we now think we are planning for, but we have said that we still have to be prepared. Realistically, we must make plans to be able to handle around 600 intensive care patients over a slightly longer period, says Guldvog.
He points out that 600 intensive care patients will also have major consequences for the other specialist health services, and that it is therefore necessary to have control through measures.
– But I fully understand that there is a discussion about how to weigh the various conditions in a pandemic, he concludes.
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