Dear Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol! Take a break from your busy daily life and listen. Listen to my voice because I have an important message for you and for the government. It’s easy to use pleasant words and phrases to answer questions. It can almost seem that you politicians can respond with nice words to whatever is asked of you.

Let’s take a journey on the floor, away from the media and into real everyday life. In your only statement, you say something nice: “…we need to hire more people and especially keep the ones we have”. Great rhetoric. I don’t know if you understood it – but “those” we have – they resigned and the advertised positions have no candidates. Here some warning lights should come on. Department heads are not magicians who can conjure people up to work. Regardless of what you politicians analyze, think and say, there is one factor that stands out: you need to put more money on the table. More money on the table for the great generation that built this country for you and me.

Let me ask you something else: who do you think I should prioritize? The person who needs help taking their medication or the woman with dementia coming out of the ward? Because things happen at the same time, you understand. The one who needs help taking medicine already has it in her mouth – but has trouble swallowing. The demented person is quite fast and can get out quickly. I can go after the insane patient, but she’s insane. Why the hell would she rush into the room with me? There, I would have needed time, whereas the one with medicine in her mouth…well, we can only hope for the best!