Digital healthcare in Norway

5,4 M

inhabitants

7,9 %

of GDP in 2022 are allocated to healthcare spending

357

municipalities

Primary care provided by municipalities and specialized care by regions

Norway has a semi-decentralized healthcare system. Norway's four regional health authorities are responsible for specialist healthcare and manage all hospitals and other specialist providers. 357 municipalities are responsible for primary care, including general practitioners.

The healthcare system is tax-financed. All residents are covered by the national insurance scheme (NAV), which is managed by the Norwegian Health Economics Administration (HELFO).
Norway is a leader in the field of digital health, possessing important national cohorts and an environment conducive to innovation in the healthcare sector. It has several national health databases accessible for research purposes on the Norwegian Institute of Public Health website.

Although not a member of the EU, Norway participates in many European health and digital health projects, and is a member of the eHealth network. Norway leads the PREVENT NCD project, and contributes to initiatives such as Xt-EHR, XpanDH, xShare or TEHDAS II (non-exhaustive list).

National health data portal for citizens

Since 2011, the Norwegian health authorities have set up Helsenorge.no, a public health portal designed to share information and dialogue about health with Norwegian citizens. It is designed to give patients and their loved ones easier access to healthcare services, and to help them manage and improve their health while strengthening the patient's role.

How to access the Norwegian digital healthcare market?

Government authorities

In charge of evaluating and regulating healthcare products.

Department of Health and Care Services (HOD) Helsedirektoratet (Hdir): the Norwegian health agency which aims to improve the quality of health services. Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI): the agency that produces and disseminates information/data to support public health. Norsk Helsenett SF (NHN): state-owned company developing the national ICT infrastructure Direktoratet for medisinske produkter: the agency that guarantees access to safe, effective and affordable medicines. NAV: single point of access for public employment and social protection services. Helfo: the agency that manages payments and reimbursements under the national insurance scheme. Helsedata.no: the portal providing information on how to access health data for research and innovation purposes.

Innovation platforms and clusters

They bring together and facilitate the incubation of new technologies.

HealthCatalyst AS: an organization bringing together 3 clusters to create a state-of-the-art testing and innovation center. Norway Health Tech: an organization dedicated to improving the quality of treatment and care. Norwegian SmartCare Cluster (NSCC): national and international collaborative space for all players in the ecosystem. NordicInnovation: an organization common to all the Nordic countries, which aims to make the region a pioneer in sustainable growth by promoting innovation.

Training

Universities and their groups that train and support digital healthcare innovations.

Oslo Universitetssykehus: the digital health department at Oslo University Hospital Universitet I Oslo: the Department of Computer Science offers a Master's degree in digitization in the healthcare sector. Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet: Research group for e-health and social security Universitetet i Agder: the university's e-health research center