The Department of Municipal Health Care Services

The Department of Municipal Healthcare Services (MHS) has the primary responsibility for the central government’s policies relating to the municipal health and care services set out in the Act relating to municipal health and care services and the Dental Health Services Act. This includes:

• Regulation general practitioners;
• intermunicipal emergency primary
  care centres and other general practitioner services;
• physiotherapy/healthy lives/teaching and coping services;
• prison healthcare services;
• child health clinic and school health services;
• dental health services etc.;
• in-home healthcare services;
• personal assistance, including practical assistance and training, and
• support contact and place at an institution, including nursing home.

Furthermore, the Department is responsible for oversight of and coordination responsibility for: 

• The Norwegian Board of Health Supervision;
• The Norwegian Healthcare Investigation Board and the county governors;
• The Norwegian State Housing Bank within the domain of the Ministry of Health and Care Services;
• responsibility for coordinating the Ministry’s work in the areas of
• mental health, drug addiction and violence;
• children and youth;
• rehabilitation;
• persons with disabilities;
• dementia;
• palliative care;
• family members;
• the Consultation Scheme with KS (Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities);
• sexual health;
• health competency;
• asylum seekers/refugees and the field of immigrant health, in addition to the Sámi population and national minorities.