Tuesday, June 22, 2004
European waiting lists follow-up
["Patients face painful waiting lists," The Copenhagen Post, 18 June 2004.]
Here's another example of the often ignored costs of socialized health care, this time from Denmark:
Danish women concerned about suspicious breast lumps are often forced to wait weeks for a scan to determine whether or not they have cancer. And patients already diagnosed with cancer are waiting longer than recommended for potentially life-saving radiation treatments.
Daily newspaper Berlingske Tidende reported last week that an increase in patient volume has led to a backlog for two procedures central to cancer treatment and prevention - mammography and radiation treatment. The trend has led to calls for additional funding for cancer treatment, to increase capacity and maintain Parliament's treatment guarantees for public hospitals.
'It's very aggravating for patients to have to wait so long for an answer as to whether or not they have cancer. Waiting lists have got worse - we need a permanent expansion in capacity,' said Dr. Ilse Vejborg of Rigshospitalet's so-called mammo-radiological unit.
Dr. Vejborg's department currently has a 29-day delay for mammograms for women with palpable breast lumps, or other medically substantiated symptoms of breast cancer. Under Parliament's mandatory treatment guarantee, patients may wait no longer than two weeks.
The capital city's other major cancer treatment facility, Herlev Hospital, has a waiting list for mammograms of four to five weeks, and new figures indicate that the waiting list for radiation treatment has now reached five weeks.
["Patients face painful waiting lists," The Copenhagen Post, 18 June 2004.]
Here's another example of the often ignored costs of socialized health care, this time from Denmark:
Danish women concerned about suspicious breast lumps are often forced to wait weeks for a scan to determine whether or not they have cancer. And patients already diagnosed with cancer are waiting longer than recommended for potentially life-saving radiation treatments.
Daily newspaper Berlingske Tidende reported last week that an increase in patient volume has led to a backlog for two procedures central to cancer treatment and prevention - mammography and radiation treatment. The trend has led to calls for additional funding for cancer treatment, to increase capacity and maintain Parliament's treatment guarantees for public hospitals.
'It's very aggravating for patients to have to wait so long for an answer as to whether or not they have cancer. Waiting lists have got worse - we need a permanent expansion in capacity,' said Dr. Ilse Vejborg of Rigshospitalet's so-called mammo-radiological unit.
Dr. Vejborg's department currently has a 29-day delay for mammograms for women with palpable breast lumps, or other medically substantiated symptoms of breast cancer. Under Parliament's mandatory treatment guarantee, patients may wait no longer than two weeks.
The capital city's other major cancer treatment facility, Herlev Hospital, has a waiting list for mammograms of four to five weeks, and new figures indicate that the waiting list for radiation treatment has now reached five weeks.
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