Opens external investigation against municipal health center in Oslo – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio

– First of all, I would like to thank Lasse Qvigstad for coming forward with his story. It’s tough, says Oslo City Councilor Robert Steen. On Friday, former first state prosecutor Lasse Qvigstad (76) told that he feared for his life during a stay at Ullern health center in Oslo. The 76-year-old had undergone a vein transplant and was transferred to the health center. – I was terrified of not making contact with the outside world. I was terrified that I would lie there and die without anyone noticing, says Qvigstad about his stay at Ullern health center earlier this year. Opening investigation Robert Steen now says that he has initiated an external investigation of the municipal health centre. – I have ordered a review of the condition of the health centers in Oslo. I did that in November to get an overview of our health centres, whether they are simply set up in terms of expertise and capacity to take care of the needs we have going forward, says Steen. – No quick fix Lasse Qvigstad tells about his experiences at Ullern health center. Photo: Lars Thomas Nordby / news Lasse Qvigstad tells news that he thinks an external review sounds very good. – But you must not think that there is a quick fix, he says. He believes that staffing must be increased and that competence must be raised. – There are absolutely fundamental things that need to be put in place. But it is good that politicians are addressing this, says Qvigstad. Staffing and competence Both news and Avisa Oslo have written a number of cases about poor treatment at Ullern health center. In one year, the patient ombudsman in Oslo has received 71 complaints about health centers in Oslo. Health Council Steen says that it seems as if the complexity has become much greater than what we were used to. – The health centers were actually set up to carry out rehabilitation on the way from hospital from home. The typical injuries they have treated have been femur fractures, he says. Steen says that it now seems as if there are problems with both staffing and competence. He says that this is not a problem that the individual municipality can solve. – Here, the government and the Storting need to step in so that the specialist health service eventually provides the expertise we need to carry out their tasks, says Robert Steen.



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