A law granting 300,000 kroner in compensation to Greenlandic women fitted with contraceptive coils without their consent took effect Monday, and Denmark’s Patient Compensation Association has now begun tracking down the women affected.
The first stop was a convention of priests in Sisimiut, where Trine Berner Madsen of Patienterstatningen addressed clergy from across Greenland on Thursday. According to DR, she asked them to tell their congregations that Denmark is now ready to pay compensation.
Madsen, who heads the effort, described the meeting as far from a standard office task. As reported by DR, she said the work is new and that the agency has prepared thoroughly and for a long time, with the aim of helping the women close the case.
Two tasks and three planned tours
The bill on a 300,000 kroner payment was finally adopted by the Folketing at the end of August. Patienterstatningen has been handed two jobs: administering the compensation scheme and carrying out an outreach and guidance effort. Both cover affected Greenlandic women living in Greenland and in Denmark.
The outreach part formally begins in October, when a traveling team starts moving around Greenland. Per DR, the team will meet women locally, explain the scheme and offer guidance close to those who may be covered. The goal is that all Greenlandic women know what the law says and how to apply.
The logistics are difficult because of Greenland’s size and because the weather can be severe as the year draws to a close. Madsen said the team looked at what was logistically possible, and at where many women in the relevant age group live. Three tours are planned in total.
East Greenland must wait until spring
On this first round, the team will not reach East Greenland. DR notes that cases of women fitted with coils without consent have already been identified there. Those visits must wait until spring.
Patienterstatningen has so far received 342 applications for compensation from Greenlandic women who say Danish doctors gave them contraception they had not asked for. The expectation is that the number of affected women is far larger, according to DR.
For many of the women, the experience was violent, and for some the damage to their reproductive organs was severe enough that they could not have children. DR describes the subject as difficult and sensitive, placing high demands on how the agency approaches the work.
That is why the first step was the clergy. Madsen said priests matter a great deal in Greenlandic society and can help spread knowledge of the scheme. She added that they can also support the women, including through pastoral care.
Denmark’s health minister is in Greenland this week, and explained Patienterstatningen’s new task in a clip published by DR. The healthcare agency’s guidance effort runs alongside the handling of applications already received.
