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Friday, May 18, 2012

Sweden Health Care Reality Check: Enough Is Enough - Our Father Looses A Leg Due To Gross Negligence by Ann-Britt Axelsdotter




My father Axel Andersson, was forced, after only 18 days' stay at the Forellen Nursing Home in Partille to amputate his left leg, about 10 cm above the knee, a so called femoral amputation.

Forellen offer residents a short-term accommodation for occasional care. A patient can go there directly after a hospital stay or be brought in to relieve a family member. For more information see: http://www.partille.se/sv/Invanarservice/Seniorer--aldre/Boende/Korttidsboende/

This short-term accomodation offers availability to doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, speech therapists and physiotherapists where the target for their business is to help patients maintain or improve their abilities to cope in everyday life.

My family has not received any answers as to why no one among healthcare workers alerted a doctor during these 18 days, or even bothered to talk to our relatives. We have been refused to see or read the homes day notes made by the staff along with the journals. One motivation from the Medical Responsible Nurse was to check if information about other patients might be wrongly entered in my father's documents. This is the confidentiality and integrity process she told me. What we have heard is that they are short of staff and that he had several wounds when he came to them from the hospital that were not reported between the treatment units. Later after receiving part of  the documentations from his stay - medical journals claims there were wounds on his body. This was never reported or known to my mother nor myself. My father says he didnt have any wounds on his body.

My father was admitted to this short-term accommodation for the assessment of future care, rehabilitation and relief for my 86 year old mother when she no longer is able to cope with the heavy burden of residential care all alone. The result was a femoral amputation.

It was the family members who had to figure out where the smell came from and find out how to book a reclining transport to the hospital. It was we telling the nurse what was needed care such as changing  bandages on a daily basis. The nurse did not think there was any danger because he had no fever.

According to Swedish Law, all people shall have the right to health care on equal terms.
What are the basic values the Minister for Elderly Care and Public Health, Maria Larsson refers to / relies on and how should they be carried out into operation?


Does this ideology mean guaranteed excess / profit of the municipal companies and / or the private health care players?

Are savings or this apparent austerity program in such high priority for the dismantling of our social security system that those in authority choose not to call a doctor in the hope that it ultimately will not be dangerous for the patient? 
Do they play a form of Russian Roulette with our Elderly in need of care?This is todays reality.   Mr. and Ms. Politicians; This is the current  reality that you yourselves may experience when you least want to or expect to.

No human being should have to stand without a doctor for 18 days. The damage inflicted on my father because of politically motivated and instituted savings such as the lack of qualified health professionals and other cost cutting methods taken are not acceptable.

The good care that the Swedish Model has offered in the past is no longer available to anyone, not even for the old people who have built up Sweden and the so-called prosperity that we as a people pretend to live in.

Ann-Britt 


Visit the new website to learn more about Axel and Elderly Health Care In Sweden:

More Photos:








All Three Photos Were Taken by Ann-Britt Axelsdotter




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