– This is a mockery of the women who have suffered serious health damage, says Mette Yvonne Larsen to news. She represents several of the women who have reported against the psychiatrist in Oslo. In January, the State Administrator opened an investigation against him, following several reports from former patients. The notifications were about the treatment they had received and the follow-up along the way. The state administrator later forwarded six cases to the Norwegian Health Authority because they believed the cases were so serious that there had to be a reaction against the psychiatrist. The state administrator recommended suspension of the psychiatrist. The Norwegian Health Authority has not complied with this. Suspension is used when it is necessary to stop activities that may endanger the safety of the health and care service. The Norwegian Health Authority has assessed that the psychiatrist must not be suspended until they have a final conclusion. Lawyer Mette Yvonne Larsen represents three of the women who have reported against the psychiatrist. Photo: Mirwais Moquim / news – Feels misled Earlier this year, the psychiatrist terminated his agreement with Helse Sør-Øst, the health organization confirms to news. news is informed that he has since rented office space in central Oslo, where he has received patients privately. This causes defense attorney Larsen to react strongly. – The whistleblowers will now know that he is at work. They feel misled. It is nothing less than a scandal, she says. The Norwegian Health Authority will not comment on whether they were aware that the psychiatrist is working. – What I can say is that the person in question currently has authorization. That means he can actually treat patients, says department director Anne Myhr. Three whistleblowers have come forward with names 1. Author Hilde Rød-Larsen was the first to report against the psychiatrist. She gave notice in December 2022 and reported what she believed to be a poor understanding of roles. She was not a patient when she got to know the psychiatrist in question, but believes he took advantage of his role to have sex with her. The psychiatrist’s answer: In his answer, the psychiatrist has contradicted the accusations from Rød-Larsen. He writes, among other things, that she “almost completely writes about her entire narrative of the contact between her and me – from being an adult woman with her own choices and several initiatives for contact – to becoming a ‘victim'”. Naturally, I feel it as a threat to my own legal protection”. The psychiatrist’s lawyer, Halvard Helle, has repeatedly pointed out that there was no treatment relationship between the psychiatrist and Hilde Rød-Larsen. Heller believes this was a relationship between two consenting adults. 2. Victoria Nordberg was the psychiatrist’s patient for over 20 years. She reported a lack of follow-up and treatment, as well as record keeping and role mixing. In her warning, she points to the psychiatrist’s lack of understanding of the distinction between the private and the professional. She also claims that the psychiatrist has not charged her for treating her in the last 17-18 years. The psychiatrist’s response: In his response to the accusations from Nordberg, the psychiatrist confirms that he has not charged for treatment. He explains this, among other things, by the fact that Nordberg should have received a free pass from Helfo. He opposes several of the other charges and writes, among other things, that he experiences the case as “scary and a threat to my personal and professional reputation”. To the accusations of a lack of record-keeping, he replies that he has kept a record, but that parts of the record were lost due to IT problems. 3. Miriam first reported against the psychiatrist in 2003. The report was about transgressive behavior and sexually offensive actions during treatment two years earlier, when Miriam was only 13 years old. The state administrator considered earlier this year that this notification should be processed again. In the case from 2003, the psychiatrist was believed in his explanation and the conclusion was that he had not broken the Health Act. The psychiatrist’s response: In his response from 2004, the psychiatrist opposes all the charges. In the letter sent to the State Administrator on 10 January 2004, the psychiatrist writes, among other things, that “none of these situations have taken place at all”. He also writes that “I am shocked. This is frightening reading, with new, gross and lying allegations about what I have done to my former patient”. To VG, lawyer Helle has said that “It is completely unlikely that the health authorities’ conclusion will be different today than what was the conclusion 20 years ago. Therefore, it is difficult to understand that this case is being taken up again, which means that the psychiatrist is exposed to extremely stigmatizing accusations of criminal relations”. Quit and started again Over several years, the psychiatrist has had the same place of work. He has been at the new office since August, news is told. In a letter to the psychiatrist dated 2 August 2023, the Norwegian Health Authority indicates that he himself has said that in the future he intends to run a limited private practice and that he will inform his patients about this. The psychiatrist’s lawyer, Halvard Helle, says the inspectorate is kept informed on an ongoing basis about the psychiatrist’s work situation. – We are not aware of the claim that the Norwegian Health Authority should have given a different impression to the complainants, says Helle. Lawyer Halvard Helle believes there is no basis for suspending the psychiatrist. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB – Ongoing assessment A total of six cases are being processed by the Norwegian Health Authority. The state administrator confirms that one case is still being assessed with them. Two cases have been closed without further assessment. The Norwegian Health Authority has been asked to assess a so-called administrative reaction. This means that the psychiatrist can lose his medical license. Attorney Helle believes that the proceedings have not provided grounds for suspending the case until the case is concluded. – This is an obviously correct assessment by the Norwegian Health Authority, he says. The assessment is based on the so-called danger criterion. The Norwegian Health Authority believed that this had not been met when they received the case. – The danger criterion is an ongoing assessment until we have made a decision, says department director Anne Myhr. Whether the psychiatrist should be suspended is an ongoing assessment, according to department director Anne Myhr in the Norwegian Health Authority. Photo: The Norwegian Health Authority Investigated by the police The cases which are now being dealt with by the Norwegian Health Authority include behavior that crosses borders, sexually offensive acts and inappropriate prescribing of addictive drugs. In at least four cases, the inspectorate examines the psychiatrist’s record keeping. Both Hilde Rød-Larsen and Victoria Nordberg have reported the psychiatrist to the police, including for abuse of a position of power. The psychiatrist has also been reported for breach of the responsibility requirement in the Health Personnel Act on giving the right to good and responsible treatment. Head of investigation Maria Eriksson at the Oslo police district confirms that the case is still under investigation. – The suspect has been summoned, but has not yet been questioned, she says. Eriksson adds that the police have recently questioned witnesses in the case. – We cannot comment on the extent and severity now, she says.
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Psychiatrist receives patients while being examined by the Norwegian Health Authority – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
