A regional health authority is a state-owned enterprise responsible for specialist healthcare in one of four regions of Norway. Responsibilities of the RHFs include patient treatment, education of medical staff, 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 Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services.
Health trust or HF is a health enterprise owned by one of the four regional health authorities in Norway, with responsibility for performing a geographic and/or specialist activities of operations on behalf of the regional health authority. There are 43 HFs in Norway, each led by a board of directors appointed by the authority. Most HFs are responsible for one or more hospitals, though some are solely responsible for pharmacies. The trusts are regulated by the Health Trust Act of 15 June 2001.
Norsk Medisinaldepot AS is a pharmaceutics and healthcare products wholesaler in Norway. It also operates the pharmacy chains Vitusapotek and the franchise chain Ditt Apotek. NMD is part of the McKesson Corporation and has approximately 300 pharmacies in Norway. The company is based in Oslo.
Vitusapotek is a chain of 300 pharmacies in Norway owned and run by Norsk Medisinaldepot, a subsidiary of McKesson Europe. The pharmacy chain is based in Oslo, and is the second largest in Norway, after Apotek1.
Ditt Apotek is a chain of 80 pharmacies owned and run by independent pharmacists on franchise from Norsk Medisinaldepot, a subsidiary of McKesson Europe. The chain is the fourth largest, and thus smallest, in Norway. The chain was established in 2001 after the deregulation of the pharmacy market in Norway. The sister company Vitusapotek operates 133 pharmacies owned by the mother company.
Apotek 1 Gruppen AS is a Norwegian pharmacy wholesaler and retailer owned by German Phoenix Pharmahandel. It owns the largest pharmacy chain in Norway, Apotek 1. The company started a cooperation with a number of pharmacists who wanted a wholesaler independent of the state owned Norsk Medisinaldepot in 1995, when most pharmacies in the country joined the company. 1997 saw the first attempts to brand the pharmacies, as Plussapotek. The first branded pharmacy as Apotek 1 was launched in 1999 in Manglerud Senter. In 2001, the pharmacy market was deregulated, and Tamro was at first chosen as a wholesaler, before eventually buying the entire company in 2004.
Central Norway Pharmaceutical Trust is a health trust owned by Central Norway Regional Health Authority that operates four hospital pharmacies at St. Olavs Hospital in Trondheim, Kristiansund Hospital, Molde Hospital and Ålesund Hospital. The pharmacies are part of the Ditt Apotek chain and use Norsk Medisinaldepot as wholesaler. The hospitals in Levanger, Namsos and Orkanger do not use the trust for their pharmacies.
Western Norway Pharmaceutical Trust is a health trust owned by Western Norway Regional Health Authority that operates four hospital pharmacies at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Stavanger Hospital, Haugesund Hospital and Førde Hospital. The pharmacies are part of the Ditt Apotek chain and use Norsk Medisinaldepot as wholesaler.
Hospital Pharmacy of North Norway Trust is a health trust owned by Northern Norway Regional Health Authority that operates six hospital pharmacies. The pharmacies are part of the Ditt Apotek chain and use Norsk Medisinaldepot as wholesaler.
The South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority is the largest of the four Regional health authorities in Norway. It covers the counties of Viken, Oslo, Innlandet, Vestfold og Telemark, and Agder, with 57% of the total population in Norway. The authority owns ten health trusts that operate the hospitals as well as the Hospital pharmacy enterprise that operates seventeen pharmacies and Sykehuspartner Trust that operates the information technology systems.
Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority was a regional health authority that covered the counties of Akershus, Hedmark, Oppland, Oslo and Østfold. The authority was founded on January 1, 2002, but merged with the Southern Norway Regional Health Authority to form the new Southern and Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority on June 1, 2007.
Norwegian Pharmacy Association is a trade organization representing the pharmacies and pharmacy owners in Norway. In addition to the three large chains and hospital pharmacies, 20 independent pharmacists are members of the organization.
Pharmacies of Norway are dominated by the three large companies Alliance Boots, Apokjeden and Norsk Medisinaldepot. In total there are 606 pharmacies, of which only 16 do not belong to the four dominant chains Apotek 1, Vitusapotek, Boots apotek and Ditt Apotek. 33 pharmacies are state owned as pharmaceutical trusts.
Hospital of Southern Norway is the trust which runs the hospitals in the counties of Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. The general hospitals in the Agder counties were joined together under one trust by the state, with Helse Sør-Øst as owner.
Steinar Stokke is a Norwegian businessperson and former civil servant, with prominent positions in the health sector.
Northern Norway Regional Health Authority is one of four regional health authorities in Norway. It covers the counties of Finnmark, Nordland and Troms. The authority owns five health trusts that operate the hospitals as well as Northern Norway Pharmaceutical Trust that operates nineteen pharmacies.
Ål Heliport, Medical Center is a heliport situated in Ål in Buskerud county, Norway. Used exclusively for air ambulance missions, it serves as a base for a Eurocopter EC-135P2+ operated by Norsk Luftambulanse on contract with the National Air Ambulance Service of Norway. The facility is owned by Vestre Viken Hospital Trust and is situated next to Hallingdal Medical Center.
Arendal Heliport, Hospital is a heliport situated on the premises of Arendal Hospital in the Heimdal neighborhood of Arendal, Norway. Used exclusively for air ambulance services, it is home to a Eurocopter EC-135P2+ operated by Norsk Luftambulanse (NLA) on contract with the National Air Ambulance Service. The base is owned by Sørlandet Hospital Trust.
Sørlandet Hospital Arendal is one of the three regional hospitals in Hospital of Southern Norway (trust). The hospital is located on Kloppene in Arendal, Aust-Agder County in Norway.
