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One year before patient backup clears

By The Copenhagen Post

Published 13.05.08   00:00 

The healthcare workers' strike has begun to cause serious treatment delays which doctors say will take up to a year to get back to normal

After four weeks of the healthcare workers strike, hospitals are now backlogged up to a year by the cancellation of around 200,000 operations, reports public broadcaster DR.

Patients in queue for non-acute operations such as knee and hip replacements will be pushed back the farthest, although hospitals have not yet worked out a specific order in which individual patients will be treated.

At Hvidovre Hospital, the cancellation rate is up to an estimated 500 per day and the facility's head physician, Torben Mogensen, said he doubted the hospital would get a handle on the backlog before early 2009.

Employees of labour unions FOA, the Health Confederation and the Danish Nurses Organisation have been striking for wage increases. FOA and municipal employer representative KL agreed to a deal last week for a 13.9 percent increase for their employees after the unions had originally demanded a 15 percent hike.

But FOA employees hired by the Association of Danish Regions will not benefit from the offer, because association president Bent Hansen said there was not enough extra money in his organisation's coffers.

The nurses have vowed to hold out for the full 15 percent pay hike. The Health Confederation will likely follow the nurses lead, as DNO president Connie Kruckow is head of both labour unions. (RC)

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