Hospitals in Greater Copenhagen will open their doors to pregnant Swedish mothers, but authorities are concerned multi-resistant bacteria could be carried back to Sweden.
Maternity wards in the Danish capital will soon allow Swedish mothers-to-be to give birth in their facilities. Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan has claimed that four hospitals in the city’s Hovedstaden district have signed an agreement with the Scania University Hospital to allow pregnant Swedes travel across the Oresund to have their babies.
Sydsvenskan claims that Scania University Hospital is currently struggling due to a lack of resources that means accommodating mothers-to-be in Sweden’s southern region can be difficult. Hospital spokesman Anfreas Herbst told the publication that they have sent mothers to the Danish capital in the past, but for intensive neonatal care rather than because their maternity clinics were full.
However, Scania’s deputy chief for communicable diseases Eva Gustafsson is concerned that when the mothers bring their new babies home, they may bring multi-resistant bacteria too. She noted that Denmark has greater problems than Sweden in that department, and with a greater patient flow it is important to take note of even the smallest pieces of information regarding small or localised outbreaks.
But she did point out that clinics in both Sweden and Denmark have lower multi-resistant bacteria levels than found in other European countries.