Revenues from Norway’s oil reserves have allowed the country to manage a robust economic policy throughout the current financial crisis. The recently released 2011 state budget, however, is the first step toward restricting public spending to 4 percent of oil revenues. The health care sector is still prioritized in the overall budget: 13 percent of total expenditure has been allocated to health care services (a growth of 1.4%), representing a total of US$133.6 billion. Priorities include funds for new hospitals and preparations for upcoming care coordination reforms.
Approximately US$25 million have been earmarked for municipal level organizations called Local Medical Centers (LMC), which aim to provide comprehensive, coordinated medical care to patients on a local level. LMCs are considered an intermediary between primary and highly specialized care, and coordinate their care with community social services. While LMCs do not provide emergency care, the LMC can be an efficient alternative to hospital care in many cases. The government has also stated that there will be additional funding for nursing homes to meet the demand for nursing homes beds by 2015.
Source:
http://www.tnp.no/2000-2011-budget-better-health-and-welfare