Three board chairs for hospitals in Northern Norway also serve as each other's bosses at Vestre Viken HF, connections not disclosed when the new boards were presented. The Health Ministry defends the practice, citing potential advantages. Multiple reports indicate a broader pattern of double roles in Norwegian hospital boards, with some individuals holding board positions in several different health enterprises and a handful also serving as directors in other hospitals.
According to NRK Norge, Thomas Benson described this combination as very unusual and something rarely seen in the private sector. The Health Ministry believes such double roles can provide advantages, while guidelines for board elections in state-owned companies emphasize competence as the most important consideration, according to Karl Kristian Bekeng. There is no requirement for local affiliation for board members in local health enterprises, with such rules only applying to regional health enterprises.
Very messy and unfortunate mixing.
For instance, at Nordland Hospital, both the chair and deputy chair are from Bergen, and Finnmark Hospital's board is led by two people from Eastern Norway. Helse Nord formally appoints board members to its local health enterprises, and Hilde Rolandsen stated that Helse Nord RHF has assessed that the need for heavy competence within hospital operations weighs heavily. It remains unclear how many board members in Norwegian hospitals have double roles or what specific advantages the Health Ministry believes they provide.
In other news, the Leirelva watercourse in Nordland has been declared free of the salmon parasite Gyrodactylus salaris, opening for fishing for sea trout from July 1. Strict quotas are introduced to ensure the newly rebuilt stock, with a daily quota of two fish per angler. This year's changes to salmon regulations mean three Norwegian rivers previously closed open for fishing, while one river is completely closed.
That combination is very unusual and something you rarely see in the private sector.
Separately, the PCI service for blocking arteries during heart attacks in Bodø is only available during limited time periods.
If you are employed in one hospital, you should not sit on a board in another hospital.
Competence should be most important.