‘The welfare state should be the best health insurance we have in Norway. That’s why we launched the Ventetidsløftet initiative to ensure faster access to care, and I am pleased that waiting times have decreased significantly over the past year. However, many people still have to wait a significant amount of time for the care they need, so our work will continue at full strength. With this hospital budget, there will be capacity to treat more patients and further reduce waiting time,’ says Minister of Health and Care Services Jan Christian Vestre.

Ventetidsløftet involves not only increased appropriations, but also a restructuring of how the health services are organised. In cooperation with the regional health authorities, trade unions and employer organisations, both short- and long-term measures are put in place to reduce the wait.

The government proposes the following appropriations:

  • Helse Nord RHF (Northern Norway Regional Health Authority): NOK 250 million
  • Helse Midt-Norge RHF (Central Norway Regional Health Authority): NOK 430 million
  • Helse Vest RHF (Western Norway Regional Health Authority): NOK 640 million
  • Helse Sør-Øst RHF (South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority): NOK 2.1 billion

Project X and Health Reform

The government has proposed a national grant to stimulate close cooperation between municipalities and specialised health services. The goal is to develop services, create good patient pathways, and support efforts to recruit and make good use of staff. The government proposes increasing the grant by NOK 40 million in 2026, bringing the total allocation to NOK 334.2 million nationwide. 80 million will be allocated to a pilot project called “Project X”. This project includes several initiatives that explores new ways of organising health services and is a part of the government’s new health reform.

‘The government has also appointed Helsereformutvalget, a dedicated health reform committee. The committee will examine and propose models for governance, organisation, and financing to secure coherent and sustainable health and care services,’ says Vestre.

Continuation of Extraordinary Support for Helse Nord

‘Helse Nord still face specific challenges and must intensify efforts keep costs down and ensure economic sustainability in the years to come. The government will continue the special grants introduced in 2025, but necessary restructuring is also required,’ says Vestre.

For Helse Nord, this amount to approximately NOK 588.9 million in 2026, to be distributed as follows:

  • Recruitment and retention of staff: NOK 215 million
  • Recruitment and collaboration grant: NOK 139.1 million
  • Grant to maintain emergency services in Helse Nord: NOK 154.3 million. With this, emergency services at the hospitals in Narvik and Lofoten will be maintained at today’s level, while Helse Nord  are compensated for proposed savings related to discontinuing these functions not being implemented.
  • Further development of the specialist health service in Alta: NOK 42.9 million
  • Preparedness and emergency services in Kirkenes: NOK 37.6 million

Efficiency Requirements and Reduced Health Bureaucracy

In the budget proposal for 2026, the government has proposed an efficiency measure within administration, bureaucracy, and consultancy use for the health trusts amounting to NOK 194 million. However, the measures are not to affect patient services.

Furthermore, reimbursements for public laboratory and radiology examinations are to be subject to reduced adjustment, amounting to NOK 79 million. Deducting efficiency measures and reduced adjustment of reimbursements, the increase in the budget proposal is NOK 3.1 billion.