Norway revokes reimbursement rights for 17 GPs, leaving 19,000 patients without a doctor

Norway’s health economics administration Helfo revoked the reimbursement rights of 17 general practitioners in 2025, leaving 19,288 patients without their regular doctor, Dagbladet reports.

The move effectively ends the doctors’ ability to practice as GPs, as their funding under the national insurance scheme is cut off. Municipalities are now responsible for ensuring these patients receive care.

According to the Norwegian Directorate of Health, the average GP patient list is 978 people. The 15 affected doctors whose data was reviewed by Dagbladet each had an average of 1,285 patients.

The Norwegian Medical Association raised concerns in 2025, submitting a complaint to the Parliamentary Ombudsman about Helfo’s control practices. Association lawyer Øyvind Anmarkrud stated that while oversight of public funds is necessary, Helfo has “gone too far” in revoking reimbursement rights in too many cases.

Helfo maintains that the high number of serious deviations found in audits is due to targeted controls of high-risk providers, often those with unusually high reimbursement claims.

State Secretary Usman Ahmad Mushtaq of the Ministry of Health and Care Services told Dagbladet that the government has prioritised strengthening the GP scheme, noting a net increase of 800 GPs in recent years and a halving of the number of Norwegians without a regular doctor since 2023. He emphasised that municipalities bear the responsibility for providing GP services, including covering costs when replacements are needed.

Mushtaq added that the government trusts Helfo’s control methods but acknowledged ongoing dialogue between the Directorate of Health and the Medical Association regarding potential regulatory changes.