MPs Kjersti Toppe and Ole Herman Sveian have tabled a proposal to increase recruitment of bioengineers. The proposers argue that Norway will face a shortage of 2,400 bioengineers by 2035, creating delayed diagnostics, longer waiting times, and increased vulnerability in the health service, especially in rural areas. They are calling on the government to expand university places, strengthen internship positions, restore supplementary training, and make it easier for foreign-trained bioengineers to gain authorization.
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These are the proposals in the document, not decisions. See the votes for the outcome.
The Storting calls on the government to increase university places and establish decentralized training programs for bioengineers to meet the health service's future needs, and return to the Storting with a plan for this in the 2027 budget proposal.
The Storting calls on the government to give regional health trusts a clear mandate to ensure adequate internship positions for bioengineers in line with future training needs, and establish binding cooperation between educational institutions and health regions on this matter.
The Storting calls on the government to inform the Storting in an appropriate manner.
The Storting calls on the government to promptly restore supplementary training in Norway for bioengineers trained inside and outside the EU/EEA, and for candidates with technology qualifications with significant relevant overlap.
The Storting calls on the government to simplify authorization for foreign-trained bioengineers by reducing processing time for authorization applications, ensuring laboratory expertise in assessments, and ensuring that decisions on practical requirements clearly specify what the training must cover.
The Storting calls on the government to inform the Storting in an appropriate manner.