Diagnoses too long in coming
Four out of the nation’s five health regions admit that they cannot provide a diagnosis for all illnesses within a month of an individual’s first contact with a doctor. Regional councillors admitted there were problems living up to the requirement in areas where there was a lack of specialist care, but also pointed out that the numbers counted some individuals twice if their condition required them to see multiple specialists. The change was announced last year and came into effect on September 1. The health minister, as well as patient advocacy groups, criticised healthcare regions for not being prepared. – Politiken
SEE RELATED: One month diagnosis guarantee will pay off, study suggests
13bn kroner backtrack
Local councils are finding themselves with 13 billion kroner less than expected from the national government to fund childcare, schools and eldercare. Ahead of the 2011 general election, Socialdemokraterne and Socialistisk Folkeparti promised they would give local councils an extra 8 billion kroner to spend on the three areas. The two parties wound securing enough votes in the election to form a three-party coalition. Funding, however, is now 5 billion kroner lower than before the election. Representatives from Socialistisk Folkeparti declined to comment, but a Socialdemokrat spokesperson said the recession had bitten harder than the party reckoned it would. – Information
SEE RELATED: Think-tank: incapable government a ‘myth’
The enemy within
A number of state agencies that deal with classified or sensitive information have been given a failing grade for their security procedures, according to a report by the national auditor’s office. “Administrators have had too little focus on computer security,” said Michael Kubel, of Rigsrevisionen. Computer security professionals said the failure to secure information had left it open to the taking by hackers and foreign powers. The report found widespread problems ranging from health authorities not being able to control access to sensitive vaccine storage areas to intelligence agencies operating with unapproved security systems. – Jyllands-Posten
SEE RELATED: Cyber crooks target credit card information
An offer they can’t forget
An increasing number of senior citizens who become lost and die before they can be found has led to more local authorities to set up GPS tracking systems for people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and similar illnesses. Starting on December 1, GPS systems will be made readily available in a number of councils, and authorities expect that the number of systems in use will double as a result. Senior citizens’ lobby groups said they supported the move. An estimated 1,000 people suffering from Alzheimer’s wander away from their homes each year, according to police estimate. – Berlingske
SEE RELATED: Danes: Eldercare not a family responsibility
Editorial Excerpt | A legal mess
The reason why things ended the way they did [with the deportation of 7-year-old Im Nielsen and her mother] is clearly because of an unforgivable lack of thoroughness while the law was being drafted. If lawmakers had gone to the effort of considering all possible special circumstances they would have quickly found that some immigrants would have wound up in an unfair situation if their Danish spouse or parent died. While some immigration decisions will now be reopened and possibly changed, others will not. Habitual criminals who contribute nothing to Danish society, and who actually cost the state considerable amounts, will still be permitted to stay here, offered residence and even citizenship at some point. The situation is an embarrassing example of how politics has become a spectator sport that’s more about responding to popular sentiment than it is to working to create robust legislation. – Jyllands-Posten
SEE RELATED: Special law saves Thai girl but hundreds aren't so lucky
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