Patients protected against doubtful nomadic doctors

“I’m pleased that after many years of negotiations, the Nordic countries can sign up to this agreement. Nordic co-operation in relation to care and healthcare professionals has been given a significant boost, as has co-operation with regard to supervision,” said Sweden’s Minister of Social Affairs and member of the Nordic Council of Ministers for Health and Social Affairs Annika Strandhäll as she, along with the ambassadors of Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland signed the agreement in Stockholm on 11 December. The revised agreement makes it possible for the authorities in the Nordic countries to share supervisory information on certain groups of healthcare staff when they travel to and between the Nordic countries. Specifically, the Arjeplog Agreement has been enhanced to correspond to Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications to include both Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Although the agreement regarding the sharing of information about these professional groups has been in place since 1993, it has been criticised for being ineffective. Many may remember the stories of dangerous nomadic doctors. In Denmark, for example, DR broke the story of a doctor who spent two decades zig-zagging his way between different roles in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark leaving a trail of complaints, reports, and failed authorisations behind him without being stopped. It’s situations such as these that the agreement helps the authorities to prevent, which ultimately increases value and safety for patients.

Sweden’s Minister for Social Affairs Annika Strandhäll and the ambassadors for Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland in Sweden 

“The Nordic Council of Ministers is working to promote the free movement of healthcare professionals and the safety of citizens by ensuring that they’re only treated by competent staff when they’re ill. This agreement is a very good example of this,” says Secretary General Dagfinn Høybråten. The countries that have already signed up to the agreement are Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland. Greenland and the Faroe Islands have now also signed up at the same level as the other five countries and now benefit from the increased patient safety that the agreement provides.