Region considers expanding doctor visits at Odense shelter

Region of Southern Denmark will decide today whether to expand a project that brings medical care to vulnerable people at a drop-in shelter in Odense, DR reports. “People are practically half-rotting before they get to a doctor,” says regular visitor Peder Pedersen.

The doctor, Søren Madsen, runs a consultation at the Kirkens Korshær shelter every other Tuesday. His clinic is next to the drug consumption room, and visitors can seek care without using e-Boks or MitID: they simply add their names to a list.

Pedersen, 69, says many people are reluctant to go to a doctor elsewhere and often wait until they are very unwell. He began using drugs at 40 and has been a regular at the shelter, where visitors can also get a meal, talk, shower and rest.

Madsen, a doctor with a private practice in central Odense, has been part of the regional project for almost a year. On the day DR visited, ten people were on his list. After an hour and a half, he had seen three or four, as consultations often involve complex problems.

Some patients have needed hospital treatment for serious infections, Madsen says. He sees more serious illness at the shelter than in his usual practice. Many visitors come with wounds, infections or low blood counts.

The shelter’s average visitor is 61, eight years younger than Pedersen. He would like Madsen to come every week rather than every two weeks, saying problems can develop quickly. Shelter manager Heinz Wolf also hopes the project becomes permanent, saying medical care makes a significant difference to people who may have difficulty arranging a regular appointment.

The clinic uses basic equipment, including a chair that converts into an examination bed and devices to measure infection markers and blood count. Madsen says he and the shelter’s health staff find practical solutions tailored to each person.