The Norwegian Government Responds to Preparedness Criticism From Nordland

On 7 October, the Norwegian government presented its proposed national budget for 2027.

"It is quite incomprehensible that no earmarked funds are being allocated to equip the hospital in Narvik as a wartime hospital," responded Marianne Dobak Kvensjø (Conservative Party), Chair of the Nordland County Government, Northern Norway.

The University Hospital of North Norway in Narvik has been given a role in supporting the Norwegian Armed Forces' preparedness needs. Consequently, the government must allocate funds for the construction of shelters at the hospital, as it has done for two hospitals in Eastern Norway, Kvensjø argued. 

She also called for increased funding for emergency services in Narvik in view of the Armed Forces’ needs.

"A hospital that is unable to handle the reception of large groups of soldiers is not a good NATO ally," said the chair of the county goverment.

Response

State Secretary Karl Kristian Bekeng (Labor) at the Ministry of Health and Care Services responds as follows to the criticism:

“The government’s policy is intended to provide security for people’s health and security for the country. Our northern regions hold a strategically important position, and we will strengthen preparedness throughout the region. This is particularly important in the troubled times in which we live,” Bekeng tells HNN, continuing:

- In the 2027 national budget, it is proposed to continue several special grants to Northern Norway Regional Health Authority. This includes nearly NOK 160 million to maintain emergency services in Northern Norway Regional Health Authority, including in Narvik.

"The Armed Forces have not specified any concrete needs beyond the fact that hospitals must plan for various contingency scenarios, and in the 2027 budget we have therefore proposed NOK 60 million to strengthen contingency preparedness work – of which a share will go to Northern Norway Regional Health Authority."

Mapping the need for shelters

According to the state secretary, the government is now carrying out an assessment of needs, possible solutions and costs for shelters at Norwegian hospitals.

"Strengthening preparedness should be based on flexible solutions that provide the best possible effect for every krone invested, while taking both security considerations and socio-economic consequences into account. The alternative would come at the expense of patient treatment."

"The highest priority concerns clarifications for ongoing construction projects, where early clarification makes it possible to build shelters without significant additional costs and thus inconvenience to patients," Bekeng states.

"Not true"

Within the framework of total defence, the Nordland county government chair also expressed great disappointment at the lack of investment in transport infrastructure in the county.

"I am thinking in particular of phase two of the upgrade of the Sørfold tunnels on the European route E6, the construction of a double track on the Ofoten Line, and measures on the E10 in Lofoten," Kvensjø said.

Minister of Transport Kamzy Gunaratnam (Labor) rejects the criticism concerning roads.

"It is not true that there is a lack of investment in road development in Nordland. The government has launched major development projects on both the E10 Hålogaland Road and the E6 in Sørfold, namely the roads specifically mentioned by the county government chair. As regards planning the start of the second development phase, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration will continuously assess the need for preparatory work within the current budgetary framework," Gunaratnam states in an email to HNN.

'No room in the budget'

With regard to the Ofot Line, which runs from the Port of Narvik to the national border with Sweden and is important for military mobility, the minister of transport states the following:

"The rail connection between Norway and Sweden is important. In the 2027 budget, we have proposed allocating funds to increase capacity for freight transport between Oslo and Narvik. This includes, among other things, measures at Narvik station and the extension or construction of new passing loops on the Kongsvinger Line. The government has not found room to prioritise measures for more trains on the Ofoten Line itself in the proposed 2027 budget."

"Will listen to the input"

It is also incomprehensible that Nordland remains outside the national preparedness action zone in the north, which currently includes Troms and Finnmark, Kvensjø believes. 

“The government says that ‘Nordland has not been forgotten’, but without a formal connection to the action zone and the Arctic Resilience Centre in Kirkenes, we risk Nordland falling between two stools in the practical preparedness work,” she pointed out.

State Secretary Kristine Kallset (Labor) at the Ministry of Justice and Public Security offers the following comment:

"Nordland is not included in the preparedness action zone, but it has major strategic importance and will be an important part of the continued preparedness work in the north – with important transport routes, infrastructure and preparedness communities," Kallset states, continuing:

"We will listen to the input from the Nordland county council and continue to cooperate with local and regional actors on how preparedness in Nordland and the rest of the region can be strengthened."

The government and its budget partners are scheduled to begin negotiations on the national budget on 14 November.