When the statutory requirement for hospital approval was abolished in 2018, the Ministry of Health and Care Services (MoHCS) retained the authority to reintroduce such approvals if concerns arose regarding service quality, patient safety, civil protection or emergency preparedness (Saunes, 2018). Amendments to the Specialist Health Services Act and the Health and Care Services Act (which governs municipal responsibilities) were enacted on 1 July 2025, further strengthening the powers of the MoHCS.
The ministry is now the regulatory authority for the use of the terms sykehus (hospital) and legevakt (out-of-hours medical services), and unauthorized use of these terms may be subject to penalties imposed by the ministry. Furthermore, the ministry may issue regulations establishing approval requirements for private enterprises and health services covered by these acts. These measures aim to ensure the availability of sufficient healthcare personnel to maintain a sound public provision of specialist health services and municipal health and care services. The latter provision is conditional and may be applied in situations involving health emergencies (Ministry of Health and Care Services, 2025).