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HOSPITAL

Swedish doc supplied drugs in overdose deaths

A Swedish doctor has been reported to the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) after he prescribed massive amounts of drugs to three young adults, after which they to overdosed and died.

Swedish doc supplied drugs in overdose deaths

The police has reported the chief physiscian at a hospital in Värmland, in the northwest of Sweden, to the agency after they discovered that he had prescribed massive amounts of narcotic medication to three young adults between 18- and 19-years-old.

“They overdosed and died. The families later found large amounts of narcotics prescribed by the same doctor,” said local chief of police Rolf Sandberg to news agency TT.

During the preliminary investigations the police carried out raids against other young addicts in the area and found even more drugs originating with the same doctor.

“It is a remarkable case because it involves large quantities of drugs that have been prescribed to a large number of people and it has all originated with this doctor,” said Sandberg to daily Expressen.

According to Sandberg, the police feel that they can’t judge what is a reasonable prescription and have therefore asked the agency to look into the matter.

Meanwhile, the county council has suspended the doctor pending investigations.

“We take this very seriously. We have started an internal investigation, which will be conducted by the county chief medical officer. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but we don’t think this person should be working while the investigation is carried out,” said Gunilla Andersson, county head of hospitals and healthcare.

The National Board of Health and Welfare’s investigation will run parallel with the county’s, according to TT.

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STATISTICS

Norway saw fewer hospital patients in 2020 despite pandemic

Fewer patients were treated in hospital in 2020 than in 2019, with Covid-19 being the reason for the drop, according to Statistics Norway.

Norway saw fewer hospital patients in 2020 despite pandemic
Illustration photo by Audun Braastad / AFP)

The decline in patients has been largest for those awaiting planned treatments, but the number of people requiring immediate attention also dropped too, according to Statistics Norway figures.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, hospitals had to prioritise differently in 2020 as a result of the increased need for intensive care units.

“2020 was a year marked by pandemics and restrictions. In many places hospitals have had to prioritise differently due to the coronavirus, and perhaps particularly as the result of the increased need for intensive care,” the report said.

This has contributed to a decrease in the number of patients in hospitals at all levels of care.

The number of patients with 24-hour stays decreased by 7 percent. The total number of days spent in hospital fell by 11 percent or 380,000 fewer days in a hospital bed in 2020 compared to 2019.

Hospital stays lasting at least 24 hours include both planned and unplanned visits. In 2020 planned visits accounted for 29 percent of all visits, which is a decrease of 16 percent from the previous year, while visits for immediate appointments decreased by 3 percent.

READ ALSO: Norwegian senior medic calls for geographical division of Covid-19 restrictions

The figures show a decline for almost all diagnostic groups, but cancer patients had a smaller decline than other groups.

Planned treatment of various forms of cancer decreased by 8 percent, but acute help for tumours saw an increase of 11 percent.

This reverses a trend of numbers of patients in hospitals increasing year on year. The increases had primarily been driven by patients at outpatient clinics.

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