SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

TODAY IN NORWAY

Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Friday

A shortage of GP’s, Oslo making it more expensive to own an electric car and Norway asking the EU to be exempt from a new rule are among the main stories on Friday.

Pictured is Vøringfoss.
Read about a new rule for electric car owners in Oslo, a GP shortage and more in todays roundup. Pictured is Vøringfoss. Photo by Jack White on Unsplash.

Report: 150,000 without a GP

Last year, the number of people without a GP in Norway grew once again, according to the Norwegian Directorate of Health’s annual report on the fastlege system.

“The low recruitment growth and the increasing reduction in total capacity in the GP scheme underline the seriousness of the situation. We share the concern of GPs that the scheme is under great pressure,” Bjørn Guldvog, health director at the Norwegian Directorate of Health said.

The health directorate’s report found 150,000 were without a GP last year. 

Only 3 out of 100 medical students and newly qualified doctors in Norway have said that they think they will work as a GP, broadcaster TV2 reports.

READ MORE: How to register with a doctor in Norway

Hiker in Troms flow to hospital after fall

A hiker in her 20s was flown to hospital after a fall from the mountain Mjeldskartinden in the Troms region of northern Norway.

“It is a matter of a tour group of two people, where one person has fallen from the mountain as the snow shovel at the top breaks. The other person, who called the police, estimates that the injured person has fallen a couple of hundred meters,” Eirik Kileng from the local police district told newspaper VG.

The woman was flown to the University of Northern Norway Hospital by an air ambulance. Despite the reported fall of a few hundred metres, the patient is said to be in a stable condition with moderate injuries.

Norway to ask EU for exemption from egg rule

The Norwegian Ministry of Health will ask to be exempt from a new EU directive that will reduce the shelf life of eggs from 35 to 28 days, according to agricultural outlet Bondebladet.

The reason for the new rule is that parts of Europe are struggling with a salmonella infection.

Several figures from the agriculture sector have said that the new rule would led to increased transport costs and threaten the viability of egg production in remote parts of the country.

Oslo Municipality raises prices for charging electric cars

In its revised budget for the year, Oslo Municipality said it would raise the price for using municipal car chargers.

Currently it costs between 12 to 17 kroner per hour to park and charge a electric car between 9am and 8pm, and 7 kroner outside these times.

Parking will be raised to between 18 and 23 kroner between the day and 13 kroner at night.

READ ALSO: Norway to remove VAT exemption for electric cars

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

TODAY IN NORWAY

Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday

Southern Norway braces for highest electricity prices of the year, Sbanken announces mortgage interest rate cut, and other news from Norway on Tuesday.

Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday

Record electricity prices expected in southern Norway

Electricity consumers in southern Norway are set to face the highest prices of the year as rates soar on Tuesday.

Regions spanning from Sunnhordland to Buskerud are expected to experience the steepest spot prices recorded thus far in 2024, with rates surpassing 2 kroner/kWh as early as 7am.

The surge in electricity costs also marks a notable peak in eastern Norway, where prices last reached this level on January 16th, according to reports from the energy site Europower.

Sbanken cuts mortgage interest rates

Sbanken has announced a cut in its mortgage interest rates by 0.15 percentage points, effective Tuesday.

The adjustment comes amidst a series of significant developments for Sbanken. In the spring of 2021, news surfaced of DNB’s interest in acquiring Sbanken, a proposal that received approval from the Norwegian Competition Authority in March of the following year.

More recently, DNB – Norway’s largest bank – disclosed plans to phase out Sbanken’s online banking platform in favour of a dedicated app.

This transition has drawn mixed reactions from Sbanken’s customer base, prompting some to switch banks.

NAV urges employers to welcome Ukrainian job seekers

With a notable percentage of Norway’s unemployed workforce hailing from Ukraine, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) is appealing to employers to open their doors to Ukrainian nationals and offer them opportunities for employment and integration.

Statistics reveal that seven percent of Norway’s 76,000 unemployed people are of Ukrainian origin.

 “It is crucial that as many Ukrainians as possible find employment. This fosters inclusion and integration within our society, enabling refugees to develop social understanding and language skills in Norway,” NAV director Hans Christian Holte told the Aftenposten newspaper.

Holte noted that, without employment opportunities, refugees may eventually become reliant on municipal social welfare programs, burdening local budgets.

Norwegian ‘sneaks in’ to Crown Prince Christian’s birthday

A young Norwegian with a record of identity theft and fraud managed to get into Denmark’s Crown Prince (then Prince) Christian’s 18th birthday in October last year, Norway’s Dagbladet newspaper reported.

The man is reported to have gained access under the pretence of being a journalist. According to the report, he has been arrested several times in Norway.

He can be seen in several photos of Crown Prince Christian’s birthday published by Danish media. He also took a photo of himself inside Christiansborg Palace, where the event was held. That photo was included in Dagbladet’s report.

Danish police intelligence service PET told Dagbladet that it considered the birthday party to have taken place “safely and securely”.

SHOW COMMENTS