Norwegian regional health authorities spent nearly one billion kroner on consultants during the first ten months of the year. The figures come from an analysis of four regional health enterprises, regional hospitals, and two IT companies. Only Finnmarksykehuset failed to respond to the information request.
The consultant spending reached 972 million kroner so far this year. Last year's total came in just under 1.3 billion kroner. With two months remaining in the year, it remains unclear whether the final amount will exceed last year's spending.
Helse Vest recorded the highest consultant expenses at nearly 330 million kroner. Helse Nord reported the lowest spending at 193 million kroner.
The government allocated approximately 228 billion kroner to regional health authorities in this year's budget. Consultant costs represent less than half a percent of the total health budget.
This substantial spending on external consultants raises questions about resource allocation within Norway's public healthcare system. The consistent high expenditure suggests health authorities rely heavily on external expertise rather than building internal capacity.
What does this mean for healthcare services? The money spent on consultants could alternatively fund patient care or medical equipment. Yet health authorities continue turning to external experts despite budget constraints.