Denmark: Copenhagen, Caritas opens a day hospital for vulnerable people “who do not have the same access to the health system as the other citizens”

A day hospital was opened in Vesterbro, a district in Copenhagen, on 14th September, which will be freely accessible to “the many people who do not have the same access to the health system as the other citizens and so often have to live with untreated illnesses and pains”. It was Caritas Denmark that announced its new initiative, available for alcoholics, drug addicts, homeless or mentally-ill people who struggle handling a treatment on their own. “On average, vulnerable citizens die 19 years earlier than the general population, despite our having a really fine and efficient health system”, Klarup, president of the Council for Socially Vulnerable People, explained. “Therefore, some initiatives need to be taken to build a bridge between vulnerable citizens and the national health system”, so that they can promptly reach the public service. In the “Caritas Klinik”, coordinated by Dr Henrik Rindel Gudbergsen, there will be volunteer doctors and nurses, available for all those who “have problems using the services provided by the public health system”, partly because of their high level of digitisation. However, such medical centre does not mean to act as a rehabilitation centre or “as an alternative to the existing public health system or other services for vulnerable people”.
Valentina Bombelli