The health barometer: 80 per cent call for better cooperation between public and private health services

Kantar presented the Health Policy Barometer on Thursday, a survey that has been carried out annually since 2016.

73 per cent respond that it does not matter whether it is private, non-profit or public health actors who deliver the services, as long as you get help and treatment through the publicly funded health and care services when you need it.

– Kantar’s survey shows that the government is completely on a collision course with what people are concerned about. Since Ap and Sp took over the government offices, the waiting time for patients has increased dramatically. At the same time, the government is sending a clear signal that private players will not be allowed to contribute, says health policy spokesperson Tone Wilhelmsen Trøen in Høyre.

Too long waiting time

Although most people who have been in contact with the health service have received good help, many experience long waiting times for treatment.

People with mental health challenges say that they have failed to contact the health service because the waiting time for a psychologist is long, or that the GP has not referred them on to a psychologist for the same reason, according to Kantar.

Most people believe that the healthcare system of the future will be worse than today.

56 per cent doubt that the public healthcare system can meet society’s future needs without help from private actors. 71 per cent believe the government is not doing enough to meet the challenges of more elderly people and an increasing burden of disease. The proportion increased from 51 per cent in 2018.

90 per cent believe that the lack of nurses affects patient safety in many municipalities. The proportion has not been measured higher in the barometer.

Fewer trust the public sector

There is a clear drop in trust that the public will provide the health services you need as an elderly person. 64 percent do not trust this, while 30 percent do. Confidence has not been measured lower than now in the period from 2016 until today. In 2023, 53 per cent had no confidence that they would receive help as an elderly person, while 40 per cent had confidence.

The FRP calls the survey a warning to the government’s policy.

– It is time to put the sick and the elderly at the forefront of the government’s ideological battle against private healthcare providers. We need all our best efforts to overcome the health queues and ensure safe and dignified care for the elderly, says the party’s health policy spokesperson Bård Hoksrud.

The public sector should pay to use available capacity in private hospitals, he believes.

– I register that a large majority of the population thinks it is positive that private hospitals assist the public healthcare system, says Hoksrud.

– Private health services relieve the public

73 per cent believe that those who use private healthcare services relieve the burden on the public healthcare system and contribute to reducing healthcare queues.

67 per cent are willing to pay to be guaranteed easier and faster access to the necessary health service.

SV’s deputy leader and spokesperson for health policy Marian Hussein believes the survey is a clear marching order to the government that the public health system must be equipped, and that there must be enough people at work.

But privatization must go, she believes.

– We must replace the right-wing solutions with a solid public healthcare system, says Hussain.