Cancer patient recovers by using an out of country cancer clinic – will receive compensation from the state

Surgery cancer patientSurgery. Photo: Pixabay.com

The state has been ordered to pay close to one million NOK in compensation and costs for cancer patient Rolf Iversen who went to Germany for treatment.

 

NRK aired a story about Iversen, in October, who in 2009 was operated for stomach cancer. In 2011, cancer was discovered in his liver, he did not get the diagnosis until the following year.

He was then informed that the cancer in his liver was to far along and was only offered relief treatment at the Hospital in Stavanger.

Iversen decided to stop the treatment in Norway and went to the controversial Medias clinic in Germany, where he was treated with a direct to region chemotherapy and a therapy called CyberKnife. Iversen recovered from treatment, which cost about one million kroner.

“I had to take loans and have family that has helped,” says Iversen to NRK..

Iversen believes the delayed diagnosis caused the extra expenses so he went to Norwegian Patient Damage Compensation (NPE) for compensation.

The state acknowledged that there was a failure with delaying the diagnosis and offered Iversen 15,000 kroner in compensation, NRK writes.

Iversen decided to go ahead with a lawsuit against the state, and in October the matter went to court. The state is now ordered to pay a total of 650,000 NOK in compensation and an addition 358,000 NOK in other costs.

Iversen was very happy when the verdict was announced and told NRK that he thinks it is right. Iversen’s lawyer is also pleased with the court’s assessment. He believes this judgment can be fundamentally important.

The state at Helseklage, according to NRK, does not wish to comment on the case or whether they will go to the Court of Appeals. The appeal deadline is one month.

 

©  NTB Scanpix / Norway Today