I believe there are several reasons why the above picture serves as a good representation of a patients point of view of the Norwegian healthcare system. This is not only because doors are commonly used as an illustration of opportunity, but also because when we contact the healthcare system we always meet a door. There are many different reasons people contact the system, and different people have different needs from it. To this end, the varying doors can represent how each patient meets a different door when they approach the system. Some feel the door is easily opened, and some may feel they meet a closed door. Some feel it is a long way to walk and some feel the door is heavy. We have probably all been there. The waiting time and the frustration of being ill is no fun for anyone. But the good thing about Norway and our healthcare system, is a door at the end of the hallway for everyone.
So how can we ensure it is a door for everyone?
Several systems have been implemented in Norway to ensure that the patients receive the support and the help they are in need of. There are laws in place to ensure that the patients’ rights are respected, and there are systems in place to ensure disability benefits. The Patients’ Rights Act protects the rights all citizens have to be helped by the healthcare system. These include the right to get our health status assessed, and the right to receive the necessary healthcare in a reasonable time.
Unfortunately, the act is not available in English so I have chosen what I think is most important in relation to my picture. As we see in § 1-1 the Act has a purpose to ensure the population equal access to services with good quality by providing patients/users rights within the healthcare system. The provisions shall contribute to promoting the relationship of trust between patient/user and the healthcare system. It shall also promote social security of the population and safeguard the respect for any individual Patients/users life, integrity and dignity (Lovdata, 1999).
The Norwegian healthcare system provides a foundation that allows most people what they need in order to live a good life without fear of illness, and with the capabilities to do what they like. However, not all have this experience, and some become chronically ill – and incapable to work. Should this be the case, the system provides the opportunity to apply for disability benefits. “Disability benefit replaces the part of your earning capacity you have lost due to permanent illness or injury” (NAV, 2011) This is further established in the law, as seen by its feature in §12 in the Act of National Insurance (Lovdata, 1997).
Based on these provisions, I belive one can make a fair assumption; the Norwegian healthcare system provides good opportunities for everyone to get the help they need and though the doors patients/ users pass through are differnet. It is a door for everyone.
References
- 1999 Lov av 02.07 nr. 63 om pasient-og brukerrettigheter (pasient- og brukerrettighetsloven). Patients Rights Act. Available from https://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/1999-07-02-63?q=pasient
- 1997 lov av 28.02 nr. 19 om folketrygd (folketrygdloven) National Insurance Act. Available from https://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/1997-02-28-19/KAPITTEL_5-9#KAPITTEL_5-9
- Disability benefit- nav.no (2011). Available from https://www.nav.no/en/Home/Benefits+and+services/Pensions+and+pension+application+from+outside+Norway/Disability+benefit
2 thoughts on “Thommessen, Mathilde Victoria “A door for everyone””
What i found interesting about this piece was the literal representation of the doors with opportunities. I like how opportunity is compared and used as a reference in health care through a door. Ultimately i believe that that is what it is, i reminds me of what an opportunity is , either a waiting game or something that is up for grabs and hard work needs to be done in order to get it. In terms of the healthcare , you wait for your chance to be seen by a health professional or make an appointment too, you’re either given that opportunity or not. Door shuts close, or is wide open depending on what your circumstances are.
However, the part that drew me into the piece was the equal opportunities being made possible by laws to ensure that the patients receive the support and the help they are in need of. You’re stating the ones found important and relevant but it is very vague. Perhaps consider explaining them in a bit more detail so that a bit more understanding of how these opportunities are made possible by the laws set out. What is being done? what protocols are put in place? Are they still in progress , if so when is the estimated time that it will be up and running or in full operation?
This reading and being made of the fact that there are laws out there to make opportunities equal defiantly and be thinking about the way in which patients are treated. Are the doors shut in their face or opened up widely and which role would i play in either situation. This does not only come within the allowing the patient the opportunity to be seen also how well and thorough they are treated when they are seen. Is it limited, or do we do everything in our power to help the patients quality of life. That is entirely up to us and how we decide to work with what we are given.
Well done on this piece Mathilde 🙂 , very well written even with it not being your first language
Hello Victoria
I like the relavance and how creative you are with this picture. It gives a better insight about the health system in Norway, makes it easy to follow and is relavant to the text.
However i found the information about the point of view of the patient a little bit vague, i think you should elaborate more on that. For example, explain further how it might feel like to be a patient under that kind of health care system. I would have liked to read more about how the patients feel about the system, how it affects them and the challenges they face. I think you should also give a brief explanation about the doors these patients meet with regards to the system to give a clear view and understanding of the idea of these doors. Which are these doors and needs these patients need from these doors?
I like how you explained the steps taken and systems implemented to give everyone access to all health care services, it makes the narrative easy to grasp. It is so great to read about how it is made sure that everyone equally receives good quality health care, in South Africa it is the opposite there is a lot of improvement that still needs to be done on the health care system as a whole. Have you considered giving more information about the several systems implemented and how it is made sure they are continuously effective?
I highly recommend you to make sure you reference correctly with the correct referencing style that you guys use there. I found one grammatical error on your first in-text referencing, I suggest you remove the full stop placed before the brackets.
Overall well done! Good work, it is well represented.