Denmark struggles to contain cancer waiting times:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
After a Danish television report claimed that hospitals were delaying radiology treatment for cancer patients, Jette Bergenholz Bautrup from the Social Democratic Party has called on health minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen to ensure that cancer patients receive this treatment within four weeks, as promised by the government. Mr Lokke Rasmussen said that waiting times were on average five weeks at present, but stressed that where waiting times for radiology treatment exceeded four weeks at a recognised oncology centre, the health service would fund treatment abroad. However, only two centres that can guarantee treatment within four weeks are Velje hospital and the National Hospital (Rigshospitalet) in Copenhagen.