Rigshospitalet
Rigshospitalet - Copenhagen University Hospital, or simply Riget, is the a hospital in Denmark, located in the capital city of Copenhagen, between the streets of Blegdamsvej, Tagensvej and Nørre Allé. Rigshospitalet is part of the Copenhagen University Hospital, together with the faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Copenhagen.
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[edit] History
Rigshospitalet was founded in 30 March 1757 under the name "Kongelig Frederiks Hospital", named after King Frederick V. It was back then located in Bredgade in central Copenhagen. Since 1903 the state has been the owner of the hospital (whereas other hospitals in Denmark are owned by the Regions).
[edit] Hospital services
Rigshospitalet's mission is to be Denmark's leading hospital for patients needing highly specialized treatment.[1]. Rigshospitalet's main specialist role has been enhanced in recent years by the decision that it should serve as the host institution for many of Copenhagen's speciality departments. Because of this, other hospitals refer patients to Rigshospitalet for the unique expertise available there. Rigshospitalet’s neighbor, Panum Institute, houses the Health Sciences Faculty of Copenhagen University, and this proximity optimizes a close cooperation between the two in the fields of research and development. The Nordic Cochrane Centre and the University Centre for Nursing and Care Research are both placed within Rigshospitalet.
With 1,120 beds, Rigshospitalet has responsibility for 65,000 inpatients and approximately 420,000 outpatients annually. In addition to its eight thousand personnel (seven thousand full-time equivalents), the hospital trains, hosts, and has the in-service advantages of students of medicine and other health care sciences, as well as scientists working within Rigshospitalet under a variety of research grants.
[edit] Social and cultural significance
The hospital became internationally famous as the location of Lars von Trier's television horror mini-series The Kingdom.
It is also famous for being the hospital in which The Crown Princess of Denmark gave birth to her four children by The Crown Prince: Princes Christian and Vincent, and Princesses Isabella and Josephine.
Also born at the hospital were Prince Joachim of Denmark's children: Prince Nikolai, Prince Felix, Prince Henrik and his daughter Princess Athena.
In 2007 Rigshospitalet celebrated its 250th anniversary.
[edit] Failure to test blood properly
Two patients were infected with HIV at Rigshospitalet in February 2007 after getting a blood transfusion with infected blood. The hospital has displayed no intention of going public with the details of either the infected patients or the blood donor. The contagion could, according to experts, probably have been discovered at the time if the blood had been tested with a NAT-test, which is used by many other western countries.[1][2]
[edit] Psychiatry
Though the hospital physically hosts Psychiatric Center Rigshospitalet, this center administratively sorts under the region-wide psychiatric hospital, Region Hovedstadens Psykiatri.
[edit] References
- ^ "To smittet med hiv på Rigshospitalet - Politiken.dk". 070818 politiken.dk
- ^ "Læger vil gøre donorblod mere sikkert - Indland - Nyheder - Berlingske Tidende". 070818 berlingske.dk
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Website of Copenhagens University Hospital, (in Danish only)
- Faculty of Health Sciences website
Coordinates: 55°41′48″N 12°34′00″E / 55.69667°N 12.56667°E
