Nordics inequity: why must Norwegians wait longer than Danes to access a new medicine approved by the European Medicines Agency?
Earlier this week, the Norwegian public TV channel NRK hosted a debate around a patient petition asking their government to address this question.
Patients worry that they can’t get access to the best treatments and find this situation unfair. A recent report published by EFPIA shows that Norwegian institutions are twice as slow as their neighbour country in approving the reimbursement of modern therapies that the European Medicine Agency (EMA) evaluated to be safe and effective.
Citizens, accustomed to social protection, and the values of solidarity and equal opportunity, living in one of the wealthiest countries, now worry about the emergence of private alternatives. Norwegian citizens fear that it divides society into those who can afford treatment and those who cannot.
Beyond that, private alternatives, when lacking a solid evidence base, can also sometimes be hazardous or harmful especially when desperate patients try therapies that may not be the best option in medical centres of possibly lower safety standards in foreign countries.
Everyone needs a solid healthcare system; this is a crucial element for a stable society.
I am a Health IT engineer and at the age of 20, almost two decades ago, I decided to dedicate my life to using technology to answer a universal need: Health. Beyond being healthy themselves, everyone needs a solid healthcare system: the health of the whole population is essential to national stability and prosperity.
I am French, and in my youth, how to address the social security deficit (“le trou de la securité sociale”) without diminishing world-class social advancements and, without causing the infamous protests of the French population, was the “million-dollar” question. Politicians and the media have explained for years how our French social system isn’t sustainable as the boomer population ages and the prevalence of chronic diseases increases. All western states have similar concerns, even though the systems slightly differ.
I believe that technology is a key element in tackling the healthcare resource needs of our societies and enabling the delivery of safe and efficient healthcare services of high quality, in an economically sustainable manner.
Going back to the contemporary Norwegian situation: as health minister Ingvild Kjerkol said during this public debate:
“one Norwegian krone can be used only once”.
When the state gives support to a patient group, it won’t be given to another. So it is essential to spend the budget efficiently, fairly, and as transparently as possible for the population to trust their administration. We can all agree on that, but does this complex problem justify the long decision process that led to this heartbreaking patients’ petition?
There must be a better way. Times have changed. We need to use the technology that our times deserve to accelerate access to life-saving medicine for everyone, not only the wealthy.
Read next: 7 ways Digital Health can accelerate access to life-saving medicine
References
- 41 patient organizations stand together behind Pasientoppropet.no — https://pasientoppropet.no/ (Norwegian)
- NRK Debatten — Pasienter kan dø mens de venter på medisiner — https://tv.nrk.no/serie/debatten/202204/NNFA51042822/avspiller (Norwegian)
- EFPIA Patients W.A.I.T. Indicator 2019 Surve y — https://www.efpia.eu/publications/downloads/efpia/efpia-patients-wait-indicator-2019-survey/ — The study shows the average time to patient access to treatments across EU and European Economic Area (EEA) countries continues to be as long as 504 days, ranging from 127 days in Germany to over 823 days in Poland.
