Norway: A global pioneer in Arctic medicine

“Norway has been the uncovered rock in healthcare. But the news is slowly getting out: Norway is a world leader in Arctic medicine and treatment,” states John Vislosky, Senior Advisor Health Tech at Innovation Norway in New York.

Norway has ideal conditions for pioneering Arctic medicine. Almost half of Norway’s land mass lies above the Arctic Circle, which is home to some 490 000 people, or one-tenth of the Norwegian population. Moreover, the country’s Arctic maritime area of 1.5 million km² corresponds to the combined land area of France, Germany and Spain.

Combine these facts with Norway’s value-based care model of a universal health system, which aims to treat every person with the same level of care, even those living in rural communities in the Far North. The result is a high-quality testbed for Arctic medical innovation and healthcare provision.

“North Norway has the most robust ambulatory care unit in all of Europe with seven helicopters, three airplanes, and some 125 ambulances. This is so different than what you can find anywhere else in the world. It’s especially important now that the world is moving more towards remote care and remote treatment,” says Vislosky.

In late 2024, a delegation from the Mayo Clinic Innovation Exchange visited Norway to explore the potential for collaboration in several medical areas. Norway’s focus on value-based care in a universal health system piqued the delegation’s interest, particularly within Arctic medicine.

“It was also exciting to meet so many groups aligned to the same mission and that there were strong connections between the various groups that support healthcare innovators.”

In addition, Norway welcomes medical delegations from abroad with open arms. The country’s relatively small population, dispersed along the world’s second longest coastline, has produced a strong tradition of collaboration. Norwegians are therefore always on the lookout for potential partnerships, especially international ones that can create synergies.

“Norway is probably the friendliest, most approachable country in the Western hemisphere when it comes to Arctic medicine and treatments within very remote and extreme environments,” explains Vislosky, adding that Norwegian Arctic medicine surpasses that of the other Nordic countries. Of course, Russia’s vast Arctic region is now off limits for political reasons.

To explore Norway’s Arctic healthcare, the Mayo Clinic delegation travelled to Tromsø, Norway’s northernmost urban centre, where they visited the University Hospital of North Norway and UiT The Arctic University of Norway. These visits focused on emergency medicine in the Arctic, use of AI and big data in healthcare, collaboration with the Norwegian Armed Forces, medicines from the seabed, and the new Health Science Innovation Hub.

“These types of trips have extreme value because we get to showcase a strong ecosystem that much of the world doesn't know about,” says Vislosky.

Jennie Kung of the Mayo Clinic Innovation Exchange agrees that their visit was productive.

“The visit strengthened our collaborations, providing a foundation for joint research and innovation projects. We also gained insights into Norway's advanced healthcare systems. Coming out of the visit we are focused on Norway-based collaborations. Collaborations that support the path from idea to the patient and collaborations that support innovators with the resources they need to develop solutions that help patients,” she concludes.