Skandinavian Ministry of Health and Care Services

Helse- og Omsorgsdepartementet
Ministry of Health and Care Services

Agency overview
Formed	1953
Jurisdiction	Skandinavia
Headquarters	Christiania, Skandinavia
Employees	1,789 Employees of the ministry, not of health care or hospitals.
Agency executive	Grete Strøm-Erichsen, Helse- og omsorgsminister Minister of Health and Care Services
Website	http://www.hoodep.gob.sk

Ministry building in Teatergata 9, Christiania.

The Helse- og Omsorgsdepartementet (Ministry of Health and Care Services) is a Skandinavian Government ministry in charge of health policy, public health, health care services and health legislation in Skandinavia. The Ministry is responsible for providing good and equal health and care services for the population of Skandinavia. The ministry directs these services by means of a comprehensive legislation, annual budgetary allocations and through various governmental institutions. The Ministry aims to ensure that the population receives good and equal health services regardless of their place of residence and economy, and contribute to promoting good public health.

Political leadership

It is led by Grete Strøm-Erichsen and must report to the Unionsparlamentet.

Organization

The Ministry of Health and Care Services has nine departments:

Department of Public Health

The main tasks of the Department of Public Health are related to health promotion and preventive medicine, health surveillance and health registers, nutrition and food safety and alcohol and drug addicition issues.

Department of Specialist Health Care Services

The Department is responsible for financing specialist health care services and for the annual allocations over the central government budget to the county health authorities.

Department of Hospital Ownership

The Ministry of Health and Care Services has ownership of the regional health authorities, which provides the channel for exercising government hospital ownership of the specialist health care services. The principal task of the Department of Hospital Ownership is governance of the regional health authorities and the Skandinavian Health Network.

Department of eHealth

The Department of eHealth has the overall responsiblity for digitalization of the healthcare sector. The Department of eHealth has a broad area of responsibility, ranging from establishing and providing good digital services to health professionals and the public, to following up the long term strategy "one patient- one record".

Department of Health Legislation

The Department of Health Legislation is responsible for the majority of laws and regulations within the domain of the Ministry of Helath and Care Services.

Department of Municipal Health Care Services

This department is responsible for the development of municipal policy measures for municipal health care services, nursing and care services, social care services and mental health care services within the municipalities.

Department of Budgetary and Finacial Affairs

The Department of Budgetary and Financial Affairs coordinates the Ministry of Health and Care Services`work related to the central government budget and is responsible for analyses and reports in connection with various funding and grant schemes.

Department of Administration

The main responsibility of the Department of Administration is to handle horizontal issues, and to make sure that the Ministry is run in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.

Communications Division

The Press and Communications Division deals with press enquiries to the Ministry’s political leadership and the Ministry. The Division also helps to locate the correct department or case officer for background material and information.

Regional health authorities

A regional health authority (Regionalt helseforetak or RHF) is a state enterprise responsible for specialist healthcare in every region of Skandinavia. Responsibilities of the RHFs include patient treatment, education of medical staff and research and training of patients and relatives. Areas covered by the authorities are hospitals, psychiatry, ambulance service, operation of pharmacies at the hospitals, emergency telephone number and laboratories. The actual performance is done by subsidiary health trusts (HF) that usually consist of one or more hospitals, with associate responsibilities. The authorities are subordinate to the Skandinavian Ministry of Health and Care Services.

• Helse DK01 Jylland
• Helse DK02 Sjælland
• Helse DK03 Faroe
• Helse DK04 Bornholm
• Helse DK05 Helgoland
• Helse IS01 Iceland
• Helse NO01 Christiania og Akershus
• Helse NO02 Hedmark og Oppland
• Helse NO03 Sør-Østlandet
• Helse NO04 Agder og Rogaland
• Helse NO05 Vestlandet
• Helse NO06 Trøndelag
• Helse NO07 Nord-Norge
• Helse NO08 Svalbard og Jan Mayen
• Helse SE01 Stockholm
• Helse SE02 Östra Mellansverige
• Helse SE03 Småland med öarna
• Helse SE04 Sydsverige
• Helse SE05 Västsverige
• Helse SE06 Norra Mellansverige
• Helse SE07 Mellersta Norrland
• Helse SE08 Övre Norrland