Norway’s embattled hospital authorities now contend that more patients are receiving treatment in a more timely fashion after years of complaints, at least in the state health care department’s southeastern region.
Bente Mikkelsen, the leader of Helse Sør-Øst who’s been under fire for months over her handling of a controversial hospital reorganization in Oslo, told newspaper Aftenposten that “we’re on the right road” now in terms of overall patient care compared to a decade ago. She could present figures showing that patient waiting-lists had been shortened, fewer patients had to lie in hospital corridors instead of in rooms, and that more patients in total were receiving treatment.
Figures from state patient registers showed that Helse Sør-Øst handled around 1 million more patients at hospital clinics in 2010 than in 2002. There’s also been a “considerable” decline in violations of the waiting-time deadlines set by the state for various treatment.
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