Rigshospitalet surgeon warns dismissals could put patient safety at risk

A transplant surgeon at Rigshospitalet has warned that dismissing three specialist surgeons could leave patients without access to necessary expertise. DR reported that doctors and nurses at the hospital have raised concerns about patient safety.

Poul Krohn, a transplant specialist at the hospital, said it was troubling if staff could not speak about patient safety without risking dismissal. He said he feared the surgeons had been fired because they were too critical.

In a letter to hospital management, 27 operating-room nurses said they were “worried about what patients will wake up to” after the dismissals. The surgeons worked in the hospital’s Department of Transplantation and Diseases of the Digestive System, which performs liver transplants and treats advanced pancreatic cancer. It is the only department in Denmark to perform liver transplants.

Two surgeons had left the department earlier this year, leaving remaining staff concerned there were not enough surgeons able to perform its highly specialised operations. In a letter sent in late September, they criticised the department’s management style and working environment. Krohn said staff had tried to discuss the problems with management but had not been heard.

After the letter, the surgeons were called to disciplinary meetings. Three were sent home and later dismissed. Krohn said they were among Denmark’s most skilled surgeons and the only ones in the country able to operate on advanced pancreatic cancer. He fears the hospital may no longer have the necessary expertise for such operations.

Rigshospitalet did not make representatives available for an interview with DR following Krohn’s comments. Earlier, deputy director Jannick Brennum told DR that patient safety remained the hospital’s top priority. He said the hospital stood by its treatment, was working to recruit new specialists and had strengthened cooperation with colleagues in Denmark and the Nordic countries.

Brennum said hospital management wanted to speak with the critical nurses and doctors and had invited them to a meeting. He said no one should feel their employment was at risk because they voiced concerns.

Krohn said the hospital’s assurances had not eased his concerns, warning that patients might either not receive surgery or be operated on by someone without the required skills.

In 2025, 56 people in Denmark received a liver transplant, 23 were on the waiting list and two died while waiting, according to the Danish Center for Organ Donation.