HealthManagement, Volume 9, Issue 4 /2007

Authors:


Erik K. Normann and May Britt Buhaug,

Norwegian Hospital and Health Service Association

Email: [email protected]



How does the NSH Contribute to the Health Service of Today and Tomorrow?


The NSH was established in 1937. There was an urgent need for an association which could, on a professionally and politically neutral basis, bring to attention the wide spectrum of problems the Norwegian health service was facing, and influence the authorities to take control and responsibility.

 

The association is now for the authorities the most important external resource securing a high level of quality. Today the tasks are, of course, of a different kind as the situation and problems within the health service have become far more complex and varied. Our association is more strongly needed than ever. NHS’s visions are:

• to play an active part in securing the proper development and use of resources in the health service.

• to encourage dialogue and mutual trust between personnel and clients in the health sector.

NSH’s goals are described in the regulations as follows:

• to bring up and illuminate current and essential approaches to problems in Norwegian healthcare.

• to contribute to an increased competence level and to an exchange of experience in healthcare.

• to develop interdisciplinary cooperation between different health personnel groups, and a fruitful cooperation between institutions and administration levels.

• to aim for the development of a Norwegian health service which has a respectful approach to human, medical and caring needs, and to encourage equality and respect for the individual human being.

NSH aims for the future:

• to be engaged in the debate and dialogue about the health service developments.

• to be a meeting place for constructive dialogue.

• to play a major part in the forthcoming development of the Norwegian health service.

• NSH’s interdisciplinary representation gives us great opportunities to achieve better solutions and to be heard in the debate about the development focused on clients’ and patients’ interests in the Norwegian health service.

 

The NSH has about 240 members, this is both private persons, hospitals, organisations, institutes and universities. All Norwegian hospitals are members. The NSH has a board consisting of nine persons, which represent various fields in the health service and they are geographically spread. The board is managed by Erik K Normann, MD, CEO at Akerhus University Hospital.

 

The secretariat is located centrally in Oslo, consisting of five persons and is managed by Secretary General May Britt Buhaug.

 

The NSH is engaged in keeping its neutral role in Norwegian healthcare and therefore receives no public support. Nevertheless we are still engaged in collaboration with the public authorities and others that can demonstrate our aim to work together across the professions in healthcare.

 

One of NSH’s main engagements is to organise a meeting place across the professions in Norwegian healthcare. Our aim is, in a neutral way, to bring up and illuminate current and essential approaches to problems in Norwegian healthcare and to encourage dialogue between personnel and clients in the health sector. The NSH is the only health organisation in Norway that goes across professions and departments.

 

NSH joined EAHM in 2006 and a Norwegian delegation attended the Dublin congress in August 2006. We hope, through EAHM, to get information and inspiration about trends in European healthcare.

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