Bodil Pedersen was preparing for a life-changing kidney transplant at Rikshospitalet in Oslo when everything went wrong. Her sister Heidi had generously donated a kidney, and tests showed they were an almost perfect match. Bodil, a trained nurse, felt nervous but trusted the surgical team, unaware that the lead surgeon had brought a bottle of wine into the hospital and drank during the operation. Hours passed beyond the expected surgery time. Bodil’s husband, Ole Gunnar, waited anxiously in the hallway. Inside the operating room, colleagues later reported the surgeon appeared heavily intoxicated. He struggled to stand straight and couldn’t even cut a suture thread properly. He was asked to leave the room. The transplant failed, the new kidney developed a blood clot and had to be removed. A second surgery was required. Bodil spent days in poor condition and only learned five days later that alcohol impairment likely caused the complications. She later received compensation, but only for incorrect suture use, not the surgeon’s intoxication. The surgeon was sentenced to 24 days in jail and temporarily lost his license. In February last year, Norway’s Health Supervisory Authority reinstated his medical license. Bodil found out through VG and says she was shocked. She fears encountering him again if she needs another transplant. Oslo University Hospital confirmed the surgeon no longer works there. The Health Supervisory Authority criticized the hospital for ignoring prior warnings about the surgeon’s substance use history and failing to prevent him from operating while impaired.
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