It is responsible for four regional health authorities (RHAs) and several subordinate agencies and enterprises (in Norwegian).

Below is an overview of the Ministry's areas of responsibility.

Children and young people are entitled to free dental care from the public dental health service up to and including the year they turn 18. After that, they are entitled to dental services from the public dental health service with a 25 per cent co-payment up to and including the year they turn 28.

Some other groups in society are also entitled to free dental services from the public dental health service. This mainly applies to people with disabilities, people who receive home nursing care to a certain extent, residents of nursing homes, people in prison, and certain groups of people with substance dependence. In addition, the National Insurance Scheme provides benefits to cover the cost of examination and treatment by a dentist for 15 specifically defined conditions.

The Ministry plays a central role in promoting digitalisation within the health and care sector and in ensuring that measures support the goals for service development. 

These measures include digital interaction, such as Pasientens legemiddelliste (the Patient's Medicines List), Helseteknologiordningen (the Health Technology Scheme), digital services for residents and health personnel, better access to and use of health data for research and analysis, artificial intelligence, digital security, as well as the European Health Data Space (health.ec.europa.eu) and other forms of international cooperation. 

The Ministry of Health and Care Services is responsible for governing the Norwegian Directorate of Health, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, the Norwegian Medical Products Agency, the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision, the Norwegian Biotechnology Advisory Board, the Norwegian System of Patient Injury Compensation, the National Office for Health Service Appeals, and the Norwegian Healthcare Investigation Board.

The Ministry is also responsible for state ownership of the regional health authorities (RHAs), Norsk helsenett SF, which is the national service provider of e-health solutions and is responsible for facilitating secure and efficient electronic interactions, and Vinmonopolet AS, which is the Norwegian monopoly for wine and spirits. 

The Ministry is responsible for health legislation, including the Patients' Rights Act, the Specialist Health Services Act, the Municipal Health and Care Services Act, the Mental Health Care Act, the Dental Health Services Act, and the Public Health Act.

Some services are regulated by separate acts, such as the Abortion Act, the Transplantation Act, and the Biotechnology Act. Specific duties for health personnel are set out in the Health Personnel Act. The County Governors and the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision supervise the health and care services under the Act relating to State Supervision of the Health and Care Services.

The Ministry of Health and Care Services has national responsibility for health preparedness and for work on civil protection and emergency preparedness, in line with the requirements set out in the Instructions for Work on Civil Protection and the Security Act. 

This is ensured through systematic work and the development of legislation, such as the Health Preparedness Act; overarching plans, such as the National Health Preparedness Plan; budget and grant management; leadership; organisation; competence development; and the governance of the public administration and enterprises, including the regional health authorities and Norsk helsenett SF, as well as supervision.  

The Ministry of Health and Care Services chairs the Health Emergency Preparedness Council (in Norwegian). Committees have also been established for specific risk areas:

  • Committee for Civil-Military Health Preparedness Cooperation
  • Committee for Digital Security and Emergency Preparedness
  • Committee for Supply Security and Emergency Preparedness for Medical Products
  • Committee for Infection Preparedness
  • Committee for Water Supply Preparedness
  • The Crisis Committee for Nuclear Preparedness, chaired by the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority

Norway has extensive international engagement in health policy through cooperation in the EU/EEA, the UN/WHO, the OECD, the Council of Europe, the Nordic Council of Ministers, and in the Arctic region. 

Cooperation with the EU is a priority, and the Ministry of Health and Care Services has a broad EU/EEA portfolio. Norway cooperates with the EU on food safety, nutrition, medicines, digital health services, and public health challenges such as tobacco, non-communicable diseases, cancer, and mental health. 

Health preparedness is an important area, and the government is working to link Norway to the EU's health preparedness cooperation. The Ministry takes part in several EU programmes, including EU4Health, UCPM, and Horizon Europe.

Norway has entered into bilateral agreements with Germany, France, and Ukraine in the field of health. The aim is to strengthen cooperation, including on health preparedness and shared challenges in the health sector.

Norway is a member of the WHO Executive Board from 2024 to 2027 and has published a dedicated strategy for this work. WHO is the UN's specialised health agency and plays an important role in addressing global health challenges, norms, standards, and crisis management. As outlined in the strategy, Norway gives priority to governance, universal health coverage, and preparedness in health and humanitarian crises. 

The population must have good access to safe and effective medicines. The public sector covers most of the cost of prescription medicines. The medicines supply chain is tightly regulated. Pharmacies ensure that patients receive their medicines together with important information about how to use them correctly.

Help for people with mental health problems and disorders is provided through the municipal health and care services, the specialist health services, and voluntary services outside the public health service.

Municipalities must ensure that people with mental health problems and disorders receive the health and care services they need. The specialist health services must provide good, equitable specialist care to everyone who needs it, when they need it, regardless of age, sex, place of residence, financial circumstances, or ethnic background.

Whether a person is entitled to necessary healthcare from the specialist health services is a clinical assessment. This is assessed by the treatment provider that receives the referral. 

Municipalities are responsible for providing services to people who need health and care services. Older people are the largest user group. Among younger age groups, the largest user groups are people with disabilities and people with mental health problems or substance use problems.

Municipal health and care services must give people confidence that they will receive the healthcare they need where they live or stay. General practitioners are an important part of this provision, together with out-of-hours medical services, child health clinics and school health services, physiotherapy, home-based services, and nursing homes.

The Ministry of Health and Care Services is responsible for identifying national public health challenges as a basis for coordinated public health policy. Better public health helps people live longer and spend more years in good health.

It reduces the risk of illness and helps to reduce social inequalities in health. The Ministry is responsible for areas including tobacco prevention, physical activity, alcohol and drug policy, nutrition, food safety and safe drinking water, environmental health protection, infection control, radiation protection, and related legislation.

The specialist health services include hospitals, outpatient clinics, medical specialists, ambulance services, and other services. Responsibility for the specialist health services lies with the four regional health authorities, which are owned by the state through the Ministry of Health and Care Services.

Specialist health services are provided in hospitals and by private practitioners and clinics. The regional health authorities must ensure specialist health services for the population, either through hospitals they own and which are organised as health enterprises, or through agreements with private providers.

Help for people with substance use problems is provided through the municipal health and care services, the specialist health services, and non-profit services outside the public health service. 

Municipalities must ensure that people with substance use problems receive the health and care services and other welfare services they need, including social services.

The regional health authorities must ensure that people with substance use disorders who are entitled to specialist health services are offered interdisciplinary specialised substance use treatment (TSB). TSB includes emergency services, detoxification, outpatient and ambulatory services, and residential services.