Danish health system in crisis after revelations of delays in cancer treatment

Denmark’s healthcare system is facing a major crisis after a damning report by the National Audit Office revealed widespread delays in cancer treatment as the Health Ministry and regional authorities failed to meet the maximum legal waiting times for cancer patients, potentially affecting several thousands of people in recent years.

The report, given the second highest severity level by the National Audit Office, the independent watchdog that monitors government spending and performance in Denmark, expressed deep concern about the long waiting times for cancer patients.

“Too many cancer patients wait too long to receive life-saving cancer treatment. Far too few cancer patients are informed about the patient rights granted by politicians”, Mette Abildgaard, chairman of the state auditors, told the Danish press on Monday.

The report by the National Audit Office revealed widespread delays in cancer care, with more than 6,500 cases of waiting times being exceeded without justification and thousands of patients’ rights to timely care potentially being compromised. In total, 16,300 treatment pathways were found to have exceeded the intended timeframe.

The National Audit Office criticised the regional authorities for not offering alternative treatment options at other hospitals when waiting times were exceeded and estimated that this affected between 3,100 and 6,400 patients, potentially violating their right to timely treatment elsewhere.

Both the Danish regions and the Ministry of Health have acknowledged the seriousness of the situation.

A call for clearer guidelines has already been made by Danske Regioner, the association of Denmark’s five regions that represents the region’s interests nationally and internationally.

“Clarity must be created with new guidelines from the Danish Health and Medicines Authority and much more systematic monitoring of the maximum waiting times”, the association wrote in a press release.

At the same time, the Health Ministry emphasised the importance of clear rules and improved monitoring of waiting times.

“It goes without saying that the rules must be clear, and the authorities must have the necessary overview. Therefore, the Danish Health Authority has updated the guidance on the rules, and we are introducing new monitoring in the cancer area, which will improve and ensure more real-time monitoring of waiting times, said Minister of the Interior and Health Sophie Løhde in a press release on Monday.

Patients who believe their rights have been violated can seek help from regional patient advice centres and file complaints to ensure that their right to timely and appropriate cancer care is met, as required by law.

(Charles Szumski | Euractiv.com)

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