The case in summary: The Norwegian Women’s Sanitetsforening (NKS) is concerned that women will avoid gynecological examinations after the Frosta case, where former municipal chief physician Arne Bye has been charged with 87 rapes and 94 cases of abuse of his position as a doctor. NKS believes it is important to give women good information about what a normal gynecological examination looks like, in order to counteract fear and uncertainty. They point out that gynecological examinations are an important part of staying healthy as a woman, especially with regard to the development of cervical cancer. Head of the Norwegian Association of General Practitioners, Marte Kvittum Tangen, says that it is important to remember that abuses such as in the Frosta case are extremely rare and a clear abuse of position on the part of the doctor. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – Of course, this makes many women insecure, there is no doubt about that, says Liv Bjørnhaug Johansen. She is a senior adviser for women’s health at the Norwegian Women’s Sanity Association (NKS), and is referring to the Frosta case where gynecological examinations are central. Former municipal doctor at Frosta, Arne Bye, is charged with 87 rapes and 94 cases of abusing his position as a doctor to obtain sexual intercourse. Most of these cases are said to have occurred in the gynecologist’s chair at the doctor’s office he worked at over a period of 18 years. Liv Bjørnhaug Johansen is senior adviser for women’s health at the Norwegian Women’s Sanitation Association. Photo: Marthe Haarstad – The vast majority of doctors do not do this here, but the fact that it has been allowed to go on for so long makes an impression on many. Because even when women have reported, they have not been taken seriously, says Johnsen. – You become very aware of how vulnerable women are in those situations, and how left you are to the gynaecologist, says Johansen. They believe it is now very important to give Norwegian women good information about what a normal gynecological examination looks like. – A cruel case Last week, news told about how the state will work to avoid another Frosta case. A state investigation commission proposes that there must be two health personnel present at all gynecological and intimate medical examinations: – You should be able to go to a GP and a gynecologist and feel that you are being looked after and treated properly. Especially at the gynaecologist, not everyone has been there that much or knows what they are getting into. That’s what Leah Gulliksen, who studies at the University of Oslo, says. She and several other young women news has spoken to are involved in the coverage of the case. Student Leah Gulliksen hopes that there will be stricter and closer follow-up of the work of GPs and other health personnel after the case. Photo: Julia Muggerud / news – It is a completely cruel case, but at the same time I think it is very nice that it is getting so much attention, because it deserves it. It is a terrible abuse, and it should never have happened, says Sigrid Dypdahl, who is also a student at UiO. She believes women are becoming more aware of how gynecological examinations should take place in the wake of the case. – After all, they themselves had trust in that doctor, and that trust has been broken in the most terrible ways. So it’s probably the case that “if it could happen to them, it could happen to me too”, she says. Student Sigrid Dypdahl says that the responsibility for a gynecological examination going correctly should not lie with the patient, but that increased awareness of the topic can be a good thing. Photo: Julia Muggerud / news – It is important that women have knowledge Johnsen in NKS says many women are initially anxious about carrying out pelvic examinations. – Many have painful conditions that they fear will be handled in a somewhat brutal way. One in five women in Norway has been raped, so a great many women enter these examinations with trauma problems. Others may have a little low trust in the health service. She believes that cases such as the Frosta case can help to build up under this uncertainty. – Then it is important that women have knowledge that enables them to identify when a limit is exceeded, and that they can notify if the situation slips beyond what is the framework for such an investigation, she says. Illustrative photo of ultrasound equipment and a gynecologist’s chair. Photo: Alexander Nordby / news – What consequences do you fear if people have been frightened? – We already know today that most people who develop cervical cancer are those who have not followed the screening programme, which now involves taking cell samples through a gynecological examination. Johnsen says many women have abdominal conditions, which can affect both fertility and quality of life if they are not treated. – Carrying out gynecological examinations when there is a need for it is an important part of staying healthy as a woman, so this is a central women’s health issue. – Extremely rare Marte Kvittum Tangen is head of the Norwegian Association for General Medicine. So far, she has not heard of anyone canceling or not turning up for their class as a result of the case. – We all think that what has happened is horrible, and are concerned that it may lead to women not daring or wanting to see the doctor for the necessary examinations, she says. – I hope and believe that the vast majority of patients understand that this is something very special that has happened in one place, and that it is extremely rare for someone to abuse their position in that way. Marte Kvittum Tangen is head of the Norwegian Association for General Medicine. Photo: Sverre Lilleeng – The Norwegian Women’s Sanitary Association believes it is important to get good information about gynecological examinations after the Frosta case. What do you think about it? – I think that most women have knowledge of and experience with gynecological examinations, says Tangen. – It is also important for me to show that for the women who have experienced the assault and abuse in this one place, it is not their lack of knowledge or information that is the cause of it. Here there has been a clear abuse of position. She says gynecological examinations are common at the GP’s office, and that women can have confidence that they will be carried out in the right way. – I think that the vast majority of GP offices now understand that it is a special situation, and will go to great lengths to accommodate a wish to include additional health personnel in the examination. Published 04.12.2024, at 05.34
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NKS for fears women will avoid gynecological examinations after the Frosta case – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
