Health authority calls meeting over surgeon departures at Rigshospitalet

Denmark’s Health Authority has called an extraordinary meeting after three surgeons were dismissed and two others left Rigshospitalet within a short period, DR reports. The authority says the departures have affected three specialist services at the hospital.

The affected services are liver transplantation, surgery for pancreatic cancer and pancreas transplantation, the authority said in a written response to DR News.

The authority requested an account from the Capital Region of Denmark on how the highly specialised department could continue pancreatic cancer operations after all five surgeons had left. The region’s account said only one surgeon currently has the necessary qualifications for the 182 pancreatic cancer operations performed annually.

The authority said it was not satisfied with the information provided and has asked the region for a more detailed account and a plan for continuing the liver transplantation and pancreatic cancer services. It has also called an extraordinary meeting of its advisory committee for specialty planning.