Trend reports indicate that we are privileged in Norway. Life expectancy is increasing, while infant mortality is decreasing. Norway is among the countries in the world with the highest public per capita financing of health services, and we rate our own health as good.
Yet we still face a number of long-term challenges in the coming years. Of these, the most important is that we need to be better at preventing disease. We need to strengthen primary health care, coordination between the many actors in the health services must be improved, and we must achieve more health per kroner spent through more efficient health services and more clear-cut priorities.
- A strong increase in the number of elderly persons will result in a need for a large number of new employees in the Norwegian health and care services over the coming decades.
- There is a great need for competence building among health service personnel to match technological advances, research and expectations.
- Public health and the Norwegian health system are to an increasing degree influenced by factors beyond our national borders. A number of health challenges are global.
- Overweight and obesity are on the rise in the population. If not halted, this trend will result in a major future health problem.
Over the last decade there has been a sharp and encouraging reduction in the number of smokers.
- However, tobacco use still constitutes one of the biggest health problems in Norway, and both preventive measures and smoking cessation programmes must be improved and intensified.
- We must continue the efforts to prevent mental disorders and alcohol and drug dependency problems, while the health service must improve its capacity to meet the needs of these health service users.
- Increasing numbers of people are living with chronic conditions and are in need of long-term assistance from the health service. For these groups of patients, effective coordination between actors in the services is especially important.
- Norway is increasingly a multicultural society, and the health service must be competent to deliver care to all minorities.
- We must counteract social inequalities in health and work for authorities in other sectors to take health impacts into account in their work.
- There are many different groups that have other types of health challenges than the majority of the population has. The health service must take this into account.
- Being excluded from working life carries a health risk. The same applies to school drop-outs.
- An important precondition for safe and dependable health services and effective coordination is rapid and effective information exchange. This requires a well-functioning infrastructure for electronic communication.
- To ensure quality health services, up-to-date knowledge must be available and must be applied.
- Research and innovation constitute a key premise for development of the future Norwegian health service and for preservation and further development of the Norwegian welfare state.