Rigshospitalet currently has only one surgeon with the right qualifications to carry out its 182 annual operations for pancreatic cancer, after three senior doctors were dismissed and two others left.
The figures come from a report that Region Hovedstaden has just delivered to the Danish Health Authority, Sundhedsstyrelsen. As DR reports, the department now has a single employed specialist with the specific skills needed for pancreatic cancer surgery.
Sundhedsstyrelsen asked for the explanation on October 13. The agency wanted to know how a highly specialized department could handle the operations after the hospital dismissed three senior consultants at once, while two other surgeons stopped within a short period.
Pernille Slebsager, patient support director at Kræftens Bekæmpelse, the Danish Cancer Society, calls the situation strongly concerning. Per her account, patients can be reassured right now, but the staffing level is far too vulnerable for a very serious cancer where patients depend entirely on surgery.
What the region told the health authority
According to the report, the requirement is at least three specialists with specific competence to perform pancreatic cancer operations. The region writes that the case has left the department with fewer specialists with those specific competences than normal.
To close the gap, Rigshospitalet has tested cooperation with an experienced surgeon from Odense University Hospital. The hospital is also in dialogue with Aarhus University Hospital, among others, and expects to hire at least one experienced specialist.
The region adds that three doctors are in training for the function. Two of them are expected to reach specialist-level experience over the coming year. Region Hovedstaden states that it still expects to meet waiting-time requirements in the cancer area.
Slebsager says it is decisive that Rigshospitalet both secures solid agreements on help from other hospitals and recruits new doctors. She says the Danish Cancer Society will continue to follow the case closely. Sundhedsstyrelsen has not yet commented on the report.
The dismissals behind the staffing gap
Politiken reported on October 13, in an article updated on October 28, that the dismissals could affect patients needing advanced pancreatic surgery. The outlet described the three dismissed doctors as having particularly specialized surgical expertise.
In its October 28 coverage, Politiken reported that the dismissals concerned alleged failures involving patient rights, guidelines for protocolled experimental surgery and informing patients about alternatives. The doctors disputed that the treatment was experimental.
DR reported on October 27 that cancer doctors from across Denmark backed the dismissed surgeons. An external review of previous treatments has been initiated, according to the same report.
What the Rigshospitalet surgeon shortage means for international residents
Pancreatic cancer surgery in Denmark is a højtspecialiseret funktion, a highly specialized function that only a few hospitals are approved to perform. Sundhedsstyrelsen approves and supervises these functions, which is why it requested the explanation from Region Hovedstaden. Anyone with a CPR number and a Danish health insurance card is referred into this system by their own doctor, as explained in our guide to how healthcare in Denmark really works.
For foreign residents in the Capital Region, the practical point from the report is that Region Hovedstaden still expects to meet cancer waiting times, and that the Danish Cancer Society says patients can be reassured at present. If capacity at Rigshospitalet is supplemented, the region points to cooperation with Odense University Hospital and talks with Aarhus University Hospital, which can mean treatment further from Copenhagen. You can read more about referrals and the hospital system in our overview of Danish healthcare for expats.
What is not yet known is how Sundhedsstyrelsen will assess the report, since the agency has not commented. It is also not stated when the hospital will again have the three required specialists in place.
