News from Scandinavia

[Kalliope]

Thanks for sharing, @mango
What a mess

 

[mango]

RME (the Swedish ME Association) has published a statement on their website, in response to the public conversation and investigative articles about the Amelie Clinic.

Debatt i media om behandling av ME
https://rme.nu/debatt-i-media-om-behandling-av-me/

December 2, 2023

Media debate on the treatment of ME

There is a debate about individual doctors and treatment in the media. This is the wrong focus, says Jenny Lundgren, President of RME. Care and knowledge is almost non-existent in large parts of the country and the majority of patients are not treated at all. We should devote the energy to debate this.

ME is a diagnosis made after specific criteria have been met and other diseases have been excluded. Despite this, the patient population is heterogeneous, and only a small proportion have improved over time. The most severely affected can experience seizures and shortness of breath, and overexertion can lead to suffocation. Quality of life for ME patients is estimated to be lower than for people with MS or cancer.

Sufferers and their families are often met with mistrust from health professionals. Sometimes they even claim that the diagnosis does not exist. Many people expect answers from health care providers when they become ill, but for ME patients this is rarely the case. They have to act as detectives to find care and treatment, as the lack of evidence often results in a lack of help.

RME works nationally to increase understanding, knowledge and support for these diseases. They cause personal suffering and a significant cost to society through sick leave. This applies to both sufferers and their families. It leads directly to stress and financial strain for the families affected.

Debating individual doctors or the effectiveness of antiviral drugs or other treatments seems inappropriate as the care of ME patients has historically been challenging to say the least. That is where the focus should be. Many members have been given bad advice and wrong treatments, often due to a lack of understanding of the importance of avoiding overexertion that exacerbates symptoms. It is worrying that doctors may hesitate to help patients without clear evidence of medical treatment. A personalised approach, where doctors look at each individual's symptoms and abnormalities to provide tailored treatment, is essential to improve the care of ME sufferers.

The RME wants specialist post-infectious disease clinics for conditions like ME and Postcovid in every health region, more clinical research and personalized treatment.

Personally, I find it incredibly worrying and disappointing that RME yet again is discouraging transparency and essential discussions about patient safety, the laws and ethics and methods of scientific research, the importance of high-quality research and the problems and risks with low-quality research, the rights of study participants such as informed consent, the importance of reporting and documenting harms and adverse events, as well as the effectiveness and risks of experimenting with off-label treatments.

The current discussons on Swedish social media make it very obvious that many pwME and others don't understand why Axelsson's way to work at the Amelie Clinic is problematic. I wish RME would have seized this opportunity to educate people, instead of trying to shut the discussion down.

Super disappointing to see yet another statement from RME unreservedly endorsing nonevidenced treatments for ME.

Super disappointing that RME are not condemning the intense hate and threats on social media towards the two harmed patients who filed complaints to IVO, and not condemning the hate and threats toward the journalists and their employers (SVT, Uppdrag granskning, ETC) either.

Also, what is the statement about risk of suffocation based on?

Note the date of the published statement: the day before the news articles were published.

 

[Anna H]

RME (the Swedish ME Association) has published a statement on their website, in response to the public conversation and investigative articles about the Amelie Clinic.

Debatt i media om behandling av ME
https://rme.nu/debatt-i-media-om-behandling-av-me/



Personally, I find it incredibly worrying and disappointing that RME yet again is discouraging transparency and essential discussions about patient safety, the laws and ethics and methods of scientific research, the importance of high-quality research and the problems and risks with low-quality research, the rights of study participants such as informed consent, the importance of reporting and documenting harms and adverse events, as well as the effectiveness and risks of experimenting with off-label treatments.

The current discussons on Swedish social media make it very obvious that many pwME and others don't understand why Axelsson's way to work at the Amelie Clinic is problematic. I wish RME would have seized this opportunity to educate people, instead of trying to shut the discussion down.

Super disappointing to see yet another statement from RME unreservedly endorsing nonevidenced treatments for ME.

Super disappointing that RME are not condemning the intense hate and threats on social media towards the two harmed patients who filed complaints to IVO, and not condemning the hate and threats toward the journalists and their employers (SVT, Uppdrag granskning, ETC) either.

Also, what is the statement about risk of suffocation based on?

Note the date of the published statement: the day before the news articles were published.

Thanks for sharing @mango

I agree! It’s worrying and very disappointing to read RME:s statement .

Seems like a lot of lobbying has been going on...
Almost like another person from another patient organisation is speaking.

They steer further and further from the goals and values they once had, so saddening to watch.


"It is worrying that doctors may hesitate to help patients without clear evidence of medical treatment".

This stood out to me. That clinicians in primary care want to follow regulations and guide lines for evidence based treatments is what's worrying to them?

Talk about getting the wrong end of the stick.

Imagine that Sweden actually had two decent ME-clinics within the public health care system just a few years ago. Stora Sköndal was perhaps the best we ever had, albeit with some flaws. And now Bragée is closing shortly and what's replacing them is, though very suitably placed, a Clinic that will provide even less in terms of long term health care management, support and treatment of patients. If any.
Things as urgently needed as correct diagnosis and thourough investigations and high quality biomedical research.

I don't know if RME had much of a say in the decision, in today’s political climate and economic situation perhaps it’s logical.

But bleak and disappointing nonetheless.

(Yeah, that about suffocation was bewildering!!?? Never heard of!)

 

[mango]

The Amelie Clinic comments on the recent news articles:

https://www.ameliekliniken.se/

Comment on the media review of Ameliekliniken

This weekend an article was published in which the Amelie Clinic is criticised for our treatments. Ameliekliniken distances itself from the image given in the publication. Contrary to what is implied, we provide safe care based on science and proven experience. Our doctor Jonas Axelsson has been reported to IVO twice in 18 years of professional activity, and IVO is still investigating both cases. Thus, neither the clinic nor Jonas has been blamed, and neither the complainants nor anyone else has claimed that any individual has suffered permanent damage after treatment with us.

Among other things, the review also states that the National Board of Health and Welfare is critical of the work carried out at the clinic. It is not true that the authority has criticised the clinic or the treatment method. Instead, Jonas Axelsson has been hired as an expert by the National Board of Health and Welfare to produce, on behalf of the Government, knowledge support for the assessment and treatment of patients with post-infectious diseases.

It is not new that the drugs sometimes used in treatment can cause side effects. This is also why every patient enrolled at Ameliekliniken is carefully monitored and every indication of side effects is analysed. Patients on medication are also encouraged to actively report any perceived change in their general condition, and the Amelie Clinic carries out a thorough analysis and evaluation. If the analysis shows that the change in general condition is due to side effects, treatment is usually stopped. Examples of such side effects include effects on the liver.

The media also tries to portray the clinic as the only one using specific drugs for patients with post-infectious conditions. This statement is directly incorrect. The named drugs are used with some regularity by other healthcare providers.

It is also inaccurate to claim that the Amelie Clinic engages in mass prescribing of medicine. In reality, all patients undergo a comprehensive and customised assessment and we only accept 4 out of 10 applicants.

We regret the concern that the media reports may have caused to the clinic's patients. We know the anxiety that inaccurate media reporting can cause and the clinic has therefore spent a lot of time responding to the media's questions. It is unfortunate that the end result was what it was.

If you as a patient at Ameliekliniken therefore have general questions - which do not apply to your own treatment - as a result of the media report, you are welcome to contact us at info@ameliekliniken.se. Since we are a small organisation, we have difficulty handling calls and therefore recommend that you send us an email. We will answer these questions as soon as we can.

We would also like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the patients, relatives and others who have reached out to offer support in various ways.

 

[mango]

VISS Stockholm, a website with guidelines for primary care in Region Stockholm (but used by healthcare professionals all over the country), has updated their page for ME/CFS to add the following note:

For adults, the Bragée ME Centre has a contract for the assignment but will cease operations on 15 December 2023 and will not accept referrals.

(2023-11-10): There is currently no specialised outpatient clinic for adult patients with ME/CFS.

Previously the indication for referral was:

• Moderate/severe ME/CFS.
• Diagnosis after the initial management is carried out by primary care.
• When there is a need for coherent team-based rehabilitation efforts.

For the above patient groups, a regional clinic is under construction.

https://viss.nu/kunskapsstod/vardprogram/me-cfs

 

[Midnattsol]

So a while ago large headlines proclaimed 1/3-2/3 of Norwegian students were psychologically ill. There's been massive criticism of the methods used in the study. Too much for me too link to everything, but here are two articles, one from the most ardent critics and a reply from the authors (from the Norwegian National Institute of Public Health)

The alarm about Norwegian students' mental health is full of research errors
Unreasonable method criticism from Lien, Reitan and Lund

Some well known issues we know from ME research.

 

[rvallee]

So a while ago large headlines proclaimed 1/3-2/3 of Norwegian students were psychologically ill. There's been massive criticism of the methods used in the study. Too much for me too link to everything, but here are two articles, one from the most ardent critics and a reply from the authors (from the Norwegian National Institute of Public Health)

The alarm about Norwegian students' mental health is full of research errors
Unreasonable method criticism from Lien, Reitan and Lund

Some well known issues we know from ME research.

Given the way things are going in evidence-based medicine, and especially around health, it's almost surprising they didn't find that 3/2 were "psychologically ill". Getting such absurd results as 2/3, or even 1/3, and not concluding that the assessment is obviously wrong is the real problem. Mental illness has been defined so loosely that given enough attempts to assess it, every one would rate as such. The whole concept has been rendered meaningless.

And the same people who assess this and think it's valid data would pretty much universally agree that we must be psychologically ill, since there are no valid tests for our illness, while they themselves proclaim, without a single valid test, such obviously outlandish data.

 

[Midnattsol]

And the same people who assess this and think it's valid data would pretty much universally agree that we must be psychologically ill, since there are no valid tests for our illness, while they themselves proclaim, without a single valid test, such obviously outlandish data.

And sadly the critics have no problem believing high numbers of chronically ill people have depression and/or anxiety, the criticism comes when it's a group they cannot phantom is having problems.

 

[mango]

Andra patienter får vård på postcovidmottagningen
https://www.mitti.se/nyheter/andra-patienter-far-vard-pa-postcovidmottagningen-6.3.188705.ffca82195e

Other patients receive care at the post-covid clinic

The post-covid clinic at Karolinska in Huddinge will also receive patients with ME/CFS from 15 December. The diseases have commonalities.

The patients now receive care at the nine clinics that are part of the healthcare choice Specialised rehabilitation for long-term pain and fatigue syndrome.

But the choice of care will be phased out.

Instead, Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge will be tasked with investigating and caring for all patients with post-infectious diseases.

Similarities

According to the healthcare administration, there are similarities between post-covid, ME/CFS and other similar post-infectious diseases. However, once diagnosed, the primary care provider, usually a family doctor or primary care rehabilitation centre, should have the main responsibility for the patient.

More money

The post-covid clinic currently has 5 000 visits per year, at a cost of SEK 10 million. In addition, the clinic will offer consultation to primary care, for which it will receive an extra SEK 4 million.

An additional SEK 12.4 million is now being provided to enable it to take on ME/CFS patients.

The healthcare choice Specialised rehabilitation for long-term pain and fatigue syndrome was introduced in 2014. Last winter, the healthcare board decided that it will be phased out in 2025.

As some of you might remember, when they closed down Stora Sköndal ME/CFS specialist clinic (that was located at the neuro rehab clinic), some of its former employees, researcher/dr Per Julin among others, started working at the post covid clinic instead. And now the post covid clinic has started accepting ME patients as well. So I guess the circle is closed, but in a weird way...

 

[Anna H]

Andra patienter får vård på postcovidmottagningen
https://www.mitti.se/nyheter/andra-patienter-far-vard-pa-postcovidmottagningen-6.3.188705.ffca82195e

As some of you might remember, when they closed down Stora Sköndal ME/CFS specialist clinic (that was located at the neuro rehab clinic), some of its former employees, researcher/dr Per Julin among others, started working at the post covid clinic instead. And now the post covid clinic has started accepting ME patients as well. So I guess the circle is closed, but in a weird way...

A really unexpected and weird way!

I think I might actually ask for a referral. Since I have developed new symptoms after covid but at the same time improved in my usual ME-symptoms.

Maybe they can find something that's treatable. And if I'm lucky I get to meet Per Julin!

 

[mango]

Vårdgivarguiden Region Stockholm: Mottagning tar emot fler postinfektiösa tillstånd
https://vardgivarguiden.se/nyheter/2023/december/postcovid-huddinge/

Clinic accepts more post-infectious conditions

News, published 13 December 2023

As of 15 December, the post-covid clinic at Karolinska Hospital Huddinge is expanding its mission to include other post-infectious conditions, such as suspected Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). The clinic is renamed the Post-Infectious Diseases Clinic.

Patients with post-infectious conditions should primarily seek treatment in primary care. In cases where primary care investigation efforts are not sufficient or lack important key competencies, patients should be referred to specialised investigation at the Post-Infectious Diseases Clinic. The clinic can also offer some treatment and rehabilitation during the investigation period, as well as offer investigation for already diagnosed patients when there is a need for further investigation at the level of specialised care.

The clinic will thus receive patients on referral from primary care and have a consultative mission for diagnosis and investigation in dialogue with the referring clinic.

It doesn't say if they accept referrals from other regions than Stockholm. Sounds like they don't accept self-referrals, which would be a problem for lots of patients in several regions where it's extremely difficult or impossible for pwME to get a referral from primary care.

 

[mango]

@MittEremltage has written a good critique of Dr. Britton's strange opinion piece.

Förvirrande och skadligt om ME i DN

google translation: Confusing and harmful about ME in DN

quote:

It is super important to highlight the consequences of the fact that care for ME is so undersized that it barely exists and that doctors and researchers take the patients' side in this. But the fact that a doctor at the country's now only regional specialist clinic dedicated to ME - and also a member of the patient association's scientific council - categorizes the disease as functional is frightening.

Texts like Britton's unfortunately risk leaving open the door for those who call ME functional and believe that it is just a bunch of faulty thought patterns that can be changed with cbt and gradually increased activity.

@MittEremltage has written a great follow-up piece, after Britton was interviewed on the radio last week. The radio show was about health anxiety.

Nej. ME är inte en funktionell sjukdom
https://mitteremitage.wordpress.com/2023/12/15/nej-me-ar-inte-en-funktionell-sjukdom/

Do click through and read the whole blog article:
Google Translate, English

No. ME is not a functional syndrome

[...] The section on ME was introduced with the following statement:

"For patients suffering from health anxiety, it is of course important to be taken seriously, but there are also patients who are accused of having health anxiety, or imaginary illnesses, when in fact they have functional diseases such as ME and fibromyalgia."

Then follows an interview with Britton in which he argues along the same lines as in the debate article in DN. The slightly confusing conversation is interspersed with strangely worded contributions by a voiceover that says, among other things, that functional illnesses "are sometimes carelessly called imaginary illnesses". Much of the conversation is devoted to non-specific claims about "fatigue" and several different diagnoses that are said to belong to the functional ones are lumped together. They are also said to be very rare. Britton gives the impression that ME can be very serious and also talks about the functional illnesses being characterised by the fact that they are made worse by exertion. Again, Britton talks about how people with these diseases can return to a normal life with the help of pacing.

The interview is confusing because the reporter talks about imaginary illnesses and Britton classifies ME and a range of other illnesses as functional. It is difficult to understand whether Britton is really distinguishing between the diseases or whether he means that they are all the same thing. Although both Britton and the reporter convey that the diseases should be taken seriously, this feels like a return to a view of ME that belongs to the past. [...]

I was criticised for criticising Britton's article in DN. I can take it. But I hope that you who did so can now see why his approach is problematic and leads to confusion. A confusion that risks playing right into the hands of those who have a biopsychosocial explanatory model of ME, and call ME a functional disease, because that is what they themselves use. Language and words matter and how you define a disease affects how others see it. It doesn't matter how sensible Britton's view of ME is if he uses a definition of the disease that for the majority has a completely different meaning.

I can really hear how some of you are thinking now:

"But it is a pity about Britton here. No matter what those who represent us do, they get shit and you are so terribly critical all the time. We actually have to encourage those who speak for our cause. I think you need to be more positive "

To you I would say. No, I don't think positive thinking will help us in this situation. But speaking clearly about what is helpful and what is not can help us along the way. And ME is not a functional disease but a chronic, complex, multi-system disease. There's something wrong in the body, it's not just about wrong reactions in the brain. [...]

We have two neighbouring countries - Finland and Denmark - that classify ME as a functional disease that should be treated by changing the patient's thoughts. Such an approach means that people with ME are treated with methods that we know risk worsening the disease and increasing suffering and disease burden. This is something I _really_ do not want to see happen in Sweden.

Therefore, I criticise Britton. And I think more people should do the same.

 

[MittEremltage]

@MittEremltage has written a great follow-up piece

Thank you so much @mango

 

[mango]

Another great piece by @MittEremltage, about RME's (the Swedish ME Association) problematic response to media's investigation and reporting on the Amelie Clinic.

Vem står upp för den som skadas i vården?
https://mitteremitage.wordpress.com/2023/12/10/vem-star-upp-for-den-som-skadas-i-varden/

"If even patient organisations do not stand up for people who are harmed in healthcare, but rather protect their doctors, who will? How can specialised ME care be safe if we don't allow it to be scrutinised? Expecting the media and authorities to scrutinise all other care, while acting as if ME care is off-limits, is actually ridiculous."

Do click through and read the whole piece:
Google Translate, English

I share @MittEremltage's views and opinions on this completely, and I stand with her. Sadly she has been the target of so much ugly and unfair criticism and ad hominem attacks, especially lately, for simply telling it like it is, digging out and presenting facts, and highlighting some really serious issues that are currently affecting the whole Swedish ME community. Some very loud voices have even been trying hard to silence her (toxic positivity sucks, and it does so much harm). I'm immensely grateful for all the incredibly important and valuable but difficult and thankless work she is doing. Thank you so much, @MittEremltage

 

[Sean]

functional illnesses being characterised by the fact that they are made worse by exertion. ...people with these diseases can return to a normal life with the help of pacing.

Pure sophistry and brazen hijacking.

Words cannot mean anything the author wants them to. You cannot just arbitrarily re-define, re-attribute, and re-label.

What dishonest games with words like this are trying to do is set it up so that whatever the explanation turns out to be it will still be classed as a 'functional' disorder.

 

[Anna H]

Vårdgivarguiden Region Stockholm: Mottagning tar emot fler postinfektiösa tillstånd
https://vardgivarguiden.se/nyheter/2023/december/postcovid-huddinge/

It doesn't say if they accept referrals from other regions than Stockholm. Sounds like they don't accept self-referrals, which would be a problem for lots of patients in several regions where it's extremely difficult or impossible for pwME to get a referral from primary care.

They do accept self-referrals. It says on their website that they treat them like any referral:

"Reception Post-infectious diseases at Karolinska, formerly Postcovidmottagningen, receives patients in need of highly specialized examination.

Our reception's main task is to investigate and diagnose and recommend treatment for patients who have already undergone a basic examination in primary care. It is therefore not certain that you can receive care at this reception. To come to us, your GP needs to come in with a referral. You can also submit a self-referral yourself, see link"

https://www.karolinska.se/for-patie...postinfektiosa-sjukdomar-mottagning-huddinge/

 

[mango]

This is not about ME but about discrimination and errors in medical records, which is something I think most of us can relate to. In these two cases the healthcare system in Sweden is being being criticized and fined for misgendering patients.

Vårdpersonal felkönade patienter i journalanteckningar
https://www.do.se/om-do/pressrum/ak...nal-felkonade-patienter-i-journalanteckningar

Healthcare professionals misgendered patients in patient records

Press release published 19 December 2023

The Equality Ombudsman (DO) makes the assessment that there has been discrimination when healthcare staff have misgendered patients in medical records. The DO is now requesting the regions to pay discrimination compensation to the persons concerned.

It concerns two people on two different occasions. One case concerns a journal entry after a physical visit to a doctor and the other case concerns a journal entry after chat contact with healthcare staff on 1177 Vårdguiden. In both cases, the patients have informed the healthcare providers which gender they identify as and want to be referred to by.

In both cases, the regions referred to the fact that the use of the wrong gender in the medical records was done without any intention to discriminate. The DO's assessment is that the treatment in misgendering the patients has entailed a violation of integrity in that the persons' gender identity has not been respected. The DO considers that the persons have been subjected to discrimination related to the discrimination grounds of gender and transgender identity or expression.

- "When dealing with patients, it is reasonable to demand that healthcare professionals do not refer to them with the wrong gender identity, contrary to what the patient has pointed out," says Sofie Rykowski, lawyer at the DO's litigation unit. [...]

A news article as well:

Patient kallades fel pronomen i journal – Region Norrbotten bötfälls
https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/n...pronomen-i-journal-region-norrbotten-botfalls

- "We regret the incident and will review our procedures. Our employees must be aware of the grounds for discrimination, not least with regard to transgender identity and expression," says Pia Näsvall, Director of Health Care in Region Norrbotten.

The region will pay SEK 15 000 in compensation to the person concerned.

Submitting a complaint about discrimination takes a lot of courage and the process can be very frustrating and disheartening, but it's an important way to try and keep the people in power accountable. Respect.

 

[mango]

Hanne Kjöller comments on the Amelie Clinic in dn.se...

Hanne Kjöller: Kliniken låter dig betala tusentals kronor – för vård seriösa läkare aldrig hört talas om
https://archive.is/EOpsj

Hanne Kjöller: Clinic lets you pay thousands of dollars - for care serious doctors have never heard of

At a new clinic, patients can get help with their paraviral diseases if they reach for their wallets. And they are treated in the old premises of Karolinska Hospital - for an unscientific paraviral treatment.

COLUMN. Hanne Kjöller is a nurse, journalist and freelance columnist for Dagens Nyheter.

Three years ago, SVT's "Vetenskapens värld" showed a number of peculiarities behind the private Red clinic that claimed to be able to treat post-covid. Behind the clinic was a doctor who was collecting biological material for research without ethical authorisation. In front of television cameras, he claimed that he had ethical authorisation. In a later phone call to SVT, the doctor admitted that he did not have a licence and that he intended to report himself to the police.

However, this was not necessary. After the broadcast, the Ethics Review Board conducted its own review and concluded that it was "obliged to report the case for prosecution".

The doctor was later granted a licence and the preliminary investigation was dropped.

Now the doctor is at it again with a new private clinic. This time it is called Ameliekliniken and offers treatment for paraviral diseases. Paraviral - what is it? I ask two professors: Magnus Gisslén, infectious disease doctor and newly appointed state epidemiologist, and Petter Brodin, paediatrician and immunologist. No idea, says one of them. Never heard of it before, says the other.

The research referred to by the Amelie Clinic is in fact a single study of 229 people.

When the Amelie Clinic itself tries to define the pseudo-concept on its website, it sounds like this:

"People with paraviral diagnoses often find that language lacks words to properly describe their symptoms - for example, the type of pain, the feeling of fatigue, or the hypersensitivity of the sensory organs." When asked if I could be the right patient, the website gives me the following answer:

"In our experience, the tools we use to select patients with paraviral disease are reliable. Moreover, most patients are well aware of the disease and have already undergone extensive investigations. Swedish research has shown that our patients have on average received more than 20 physical and a number of psychiatric diagnoses before coming to us. They have had an average of 90 healthcare contacts in the form of investigations and treatments over the past five years. Many patients have also been referred by someone who has or has had the same symptoms, while others have been referred to us by their regular doctor when they suspected the diagnosis."

A number of questions arise. Such as the extent to which doctors in the regular health care system really refer their patients to a visit that costs SEK 7,500 without having any idea of what kind of care the patients are being offered. The research to which the Amelie Clinic refers is in fact a single study of 229 people (it usually takes many years to complete). Moreover, the study has nothing to do with the clinic.

The article in question was published in 2020. The limited liability company Ameliekliniken was registered in 2019. The website describes the clinic as a "specialist centre". This is undoubtedly a rather inflated description of a clinic which, according to the Allabolag website, has two employees: a doctor and a nurse.

Rarely have there been better reasons to open an inspection case.

The subsequent description is even more misleading: "We who work here have long clinical experience, research experience and are among the country's leading experts on paraviral syndromes". One of the two 'leading experts on paraviral syndromes' is a district nurse who has worked mainly in advanced home care. The other is the doctor who, when I request his CV from Karolinska Institutet, I can't find a word about anything paraviral. However, there is a lot about renal medicine.

The clinic has rented the old premises of Karolinska Hospital. It may seem smart for the company to borrow the authority of the healthcare system for a treatment that, according to a review by the newspaper Dagens ETC, consists of shark liver oil, walnut bark, eye drops that are mixed with water and swallowed, and a drug used for bedwetting in children. But how smart is it for Region Stockholm to "lend" the historic hospital's scientific splendour to a company that, when last reviewed, rejected evidence-based care in favour of non-evidence-based care?

Locum, which manages the properties on behalf of Region Stockholm, replied that creditworthiness and good behaviour are required to rent healthcare premises when I emailed to ask. But that they do not "analyse the business concept". There are currently 13 individual complaints with the Health and Social Care Inspectorate, but no regular supervisory case is underway.

Ameliekliniken states on its website that it is full and not accepting new patients. There has rarely been a better reason to open an inspection case. Region Stockholm should also consider to what extent it wants the name of Karolinska to be associated with [money-making businesses of a less honourable nature].

 

[mango]

Not ME.

Anställda på Sahlgrenska blev mystiskt sjuka – nu vet de varför
https://www.dn.se/sverige/anstallda-pa-sahlgrenska-blev-mystiskt-sjuka-nu-vet-de-varfor/

Employees at Sahlgrenska [Hospital] fell mysteriously ill - now they know why

After fifteen years of struggle, the staff at Sahlgrenska have an answer to why so many of them became mysteriously ill.

A new report shows that the concrete floors in the thoracic surgery were leaking toxic substances.

- "This is a real vindication for all those affected," says safety representative Linda Önsten.

In the summer of 2018, the limit was reached. After ten years of reported ill health, the safety representatives felt they had reached the end of the road when 30 out of 90 employees in the thoracic surgery had problems with breathing, fatigue and headaches. They notified the Work Environment Authority and the following year the hospital was ordered to close the department.

In DN, nurses testified that they experienced a "feeling of being strangled" and that it was like "breathing in lime dust". But they did not dare to show their faces and reveal their names. Since no one could find the reason for their reactions, they felt questioned - "difficult" and "oversensitive".

- What we were told over the years was that it might be our imagination. "Have you tried CBT?", says the union Saco's safety representative Linda Önsten, who herself has permanent respiratory problems after her years in the thorax.

Now she has been told in black and white what it is due to.

 

[rvallee]

Some kind of syndrome, where buildings make people sick? Uh. How uncouth.