The Controversial Health Platform Faces Opposition in Norway
The proposal to halt the further rollout of the controversial health platform was voted down.
Summary
- The Parliament has decided to halt the further implementation of the controversial health platform, Health Platform, in Mid-Norway.
- The project has raised security concerns, increased costs, and resulted in losses for hospitals. The cost has skyrocketed from the planned 3.7 billion to nearly 7 billion.
- The government must now investigate alternatives and the consequences of terminating the contract with the supplier, Epic.
The summary was created using artificial intelligence (AI) and reviewed by Aftenposten’s journalists.
One of the country’s largest digitization projects has long been in trouble. The Audit Office criticized the introduction of the new electronic health record system in Mid-Norway last year.
On Tuesday, it became clear that there is a majority in favor of starting “open and independent economic, social, quality, and legal analyses of the benefits and drawbacks” of the Health Platform.
The analyses should be ready “no later than in connection with the consideration of the budget for 2026.”
For a long time, it seemed likely that there would be a majority for the more drastic proposal by the Socialist Left Party to halt further implementation and investigate the termination of the Health Platform, but this proposal did not pass.
Patient Safety and Escalating Costs
The list of issues with the Health Platform is extensive:
- The Health Platform has been assessed as a danger to patients and is so difficult to use that employees have reported feeling exhausted and crying at work.
- The system is draining the hospitals in Mid-Norway of funds, even though the goal was for it to lead to savings. The system was supposed to cost 3.7 billion NOK. It has now cost close to seven billion NOK, with no end in sight for the bill.
- Aftenposten previously reported that the system was never tested before being procured, despite it being well-known that systems from the supplier Epic were perceived as user-unfriendly. User-friendliness was also not a requirement in the tender documents.
- The project’s socio-economic consequences were never investigated before the system was procured.
Criticism of Scrapping
Chairman Odd Inge Mjøen of Health Mid-Norway expressed criticism ahead of the Parliament’s vote to halt the implementation of the Health Platform.
– I think it is unfortunate that this is happening now. The only thing this contributes to is continued unrest around the solution, and hope from some that the solution will be scrapped, said the chairman to Adresseavisen.
He pointed out that the system is already in use in hospitals and most municipalities in Mid-Norway.
Union representative John Olav Berdahl for the Union at St. Olav’s Hospital also warned politicians ahead of today’s parliamentary debate. Representatives have previously called for a halt to the system’s rollout and for the board of Health Mid-Norway to be replaced.
Berdahl believes politicians are too late. Recently, the government decided to spend 200 million NOK to try to make the system more user-friendly.
– We have just overcome the hump and are on our way up again. I really hope there won’t be a new debate about this. It would be catastrophic for St. Olav’s and our secretarial corps, says Berdahl to Adresseavisen.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Labor Party) also warned against scrapping the system when he visited St. Olav’s Hospital on Monday.
Aftenposten previously tried to get the key players behind the introduction of the Health Platform to comment on who is responsible for the problems, but was met with silence.
Conclusion
The controversy surrounding the Health Platform in Norway highlights the challenges of implementing large-scale digitalization projects in the healthcare sector. With escalating costs, safety concerns, and usability issues, the future of the platform remains uncertain. As stakeholders debate the best course of action, the focus must remain on ensuring patient safety and delivering efficient healthcare services.
FAQ
What are the main issues with the Health Platform?
The main issues with the Health Platform include safety concerns for patients, escalating costs, usability challenges leading to employee exhaustion, and lack of thorough testing and socio-economic analysis before implementation.
Why is there opposition to scrapping the Health Platform?
Opposition to scrapping the Health Platform comes from concerns about the disruption it would cause after being implemented in hospitals and municipalities, as well as efforts to improve the system’s user-friendliness to benefit healthcare providers and patients.