A female apprentice reported that a leader attempted to enter her hotel room during a course, according to NRK. The apprentice described feeling very uncomfortable in the situation. She said she reported the incident but claims it was not followed up, and she no longer works in the ambulance service. Another ambulance worker, referred to as 'Ella', felt pressured into sex with her leader. After reporting, Ella received fewer shifts from this leader and also no longer works in the service. The leader involved believes Ella was a willing participant in what happened between them.
NRK has seen the content of 26 written reports from the ambulance service in Finnmark over the last ten years. Most reports were sent to Finnmarkssykehuset, with some also sent to the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority or the County Governor of Troms and Finnmark. Several reports are against leaders, and nearly half concern sexual harassment. The reports describe derogatory views of women and comments such as wanting to 'shame-fuck' someone. A leader called apprentices 'party girls', and an apprentice received threatening messages when she became pregnant with a colleague 20 years older. According to the reports, another leader said women were too weak to work in the profession and became an economic burden when they had children.
When I opened, it was him standing there wanting to come in.
Additional workplace misconduct documented in the reports includes threats, unfair practices, and safety breaches. A leader threatened to withhold a planned extra ambulance if sick leave among employees did not decrease. Another leader threatened an employee with a pay cut after a discussion about leave rules. According to the reports, employees were not required to take exams in medication calculation, repeated breaches of rest period rules occurred, and unfair distribution of benefits such as overtime and paid leave took place. The reports also note that a leader made offensive and discriminatory comments about skin color, religion, and sexual orientation.
Finnmarkssykehuset has stated it will not comment on the case beyond asserting it handled it according to current laws and regulations. Director Ole Hope has repeatedly stated that reports of sexual harassment in the ambulance service have not reached top management. However, NRK's documents show otherwise, indicating top management was involved in handling some reports. Top managers in Finnmarkssykehuset have been involved in the handling of eight of the eleven sexual harassment reports. HR manager Kenneth Grav has been aware of four reports, clinic manager for prehospital services Trond Carlsson has been aware of two reports, and former clinic manager Jørgen Nilsen has been aware of two reports. Finnmarkssykehuset previously stated it has only handled one case of sexual harassment in the period 2015–2025.
The day after he said I must not tell anyone, but that he did not regret hitting on me.
In response to the allegations, Finnmarkssykehuset has requested an external review of these cases. Finnmarkssykehuset held a meeting with female ambulance employees where it emerged there may be far more incidents than previously known. The health enterprise says it appears a negative culture has developed.
Reactions and implications include the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud contacting Finnmarkssykehuset after reading about the case of ambulance worker 'Ella'. Finnmarkssykehuset confirmed it has not consulted the police regarding any reports from 2015 to 2025. According to major media, MPs Siren Jensen and Marius Dalin of MDG have proposed appointing an external investigation commission for Finnmarkssykehuset. The board of Finnmarkssykehuset is shocked by cases of sexual harassment in the health enterprise, and several board members question the competence of those handling reports.
Information from the network meeting suggests there may be far more incidents than previously known. Managing director Ole Hope takes very seriously what the employees conveyed at the meeting.
Outcomes for victims include apprentices and workers leaving the service, but it remains unclear how all the reported cases have been handled and whether they were formally registered as whistleblowing cases at Finnmarkssykehuset. The factual basis for the various reports and what consequences, if any, they resulted in are also unknown, as is whether any leaders or employees have faced disciplinary actions or legal consequences. The total number of reports in the ambulance service in Finnmark beyond the 26 seen by NRK is not specified. The specific outcomes of the external review requested by Finnmarkssykehuset and any corrective measures planned have yet to be determined.