At the end of 2022, Good evening Norway could reveal that doctor and professor emeritus Esben Esther Pirelli Benestad (73) was in danger of losing her authorization as a doctor.
The reason for this was, among other things, that several GPs had sent reports of concern to the State Administrator in Agder. One of the core points in the case was that Pirelli Benestad had failed to refer patients to Rikshospitalet.
On Wednesday, the final decision that he will be stripped of his authorization was announced.
It is the Norwegian Health Authority that has made the decision.
– I am completely exhausted now. I don’t think I will be able to say anything sensible until tomorrow, other than that I am deeply worried about how things will go for all those who depend on me, Pirelli Benestad said in a message to Good Evening Norway on Wednesday.
Several people are now reacting to the Norwegian Health Authority’s decision.
A strong horror
Leader of the organization FRI Rogaland, Karoline Skarstein (30), believes society is losing a very special resource.
– I had my first appointment with Pirelli Benestad in October 2021, and have had regular follow-up since then, says Skarstein to Good evening Norway.
She believes Pirelli Benestad has given her a completely different life.
– The last year has been about living – not just surviving. And it’s thanks to him, no other part of the healthcare system, says Skarstein.
She thinks it is strange that it should be so “simple and undramatic” for the Norwegian Health Authority to deprive her, and many others, of the help Pirelli Benestad has offered.
She describes a strong horror around what has happened, and says that it was hard to receive the news.
– I am afraid of my people, of other trans people, of friends and acquaintances.
LITTLE TRUST: Karoline Skarstein is afraid of what will happen next. Photo: Renate Wiik
She also says that many in the LGBT+ community struggle with trust in the healthcare system, and that Benestad has been decisive here.
– For many, he has been the person they can turn to throughout the country. Anyone who has had time for them, says Skarstein.
See the Norwegian Health Authority’s response a little further down in the matter.
Critical to the National Hospital
Furthermore, Skarstein claims that she knows of several cases at Rikshospitalet where patients should not have received check-up hours. Once they have been checked, according to Skarstein, they must have received the wrong dose.
Good evening Norway has spoken to several patients who support Skarstein’s claims about the treatment at Rikshospitalet.
Rikshospitalet and NBTK (National Treatment Service for Gender Incongruence) have been presented with the allegations, but do not wish to comment on this case.
Skarstein himself has been checked every three months for the past year. She believes that the follow-up at Pirelli Benestad has been much better than at the public sector.
She is supported by activist Zutana Hadaddeen (19), who shares Skarstein’s view on the public offer.
I think there are big differences
Haddadeen is now undergoing hormone treatment at the Health Center for Gender and Sexuality (HKS), where Pirelli Benestad has practiced. She also thinks it is sad that Pirelli Benestad has lost its authorisation.
– It is quite shocking news, she says to Good evening Norway.
Haddadeen has previously been examined at Rikshospitalet for four years. There she felt discriminated against in the meeting with the public.
– It took a very long time before they started using she/her about me. They spoke to me as a “he”, and I have always been very clear that I am only comfortable being referred to as she/her, claims Hadaddeen.
The 19-year-old further says that it could take up to nine months between check-ups at the National Hospital, while it was from four to six weeks between each check-up at Pirelli Benestad.
– At Esben Esther you get good follow-up and a good relationship. She doesn’t ask unnecessary and uncomfortable questions about her private life, says Hadaddeen, and refers to an episode at Rikshospitalet where they allegedly asked her an uncomfortable question:
– There they asked me if I think about my mother or my father when I have sex, claims Hadaddeen.
Concerned GP
General practitioner Thomas Tønseth previously worked in this field himself. He is worried about how it will go with Pirelli Benestad’s patients.
– I believe that the consequences for Esben Esther’s patients are dramatic. One cannot in any way expect the individual’s GP to take over the treatment, Tønseth believes.
He further claims that the general practitioner does not feel competent enough in the field.
– If the authorities believe that the indication for the treatment has not been investigated well enough at Pirelli Benestad, it is understandable that most GPs refuse to take over the prescription, Tønseth believes.
– They clearly have capacity challenges, and the waiting time and the investigation time are felt by many to be far too long. It has been decided to establish regional centers for gender incongruence, this will take time in all health regions other than Health South-East. In addition, it is still the case that only the national service should prescribe hormones, explains Tønseth.
LOST AUTHORIZATION: Many believe it is vital. He has now been stripped of his authorization as a doctor. Photo: Tor Richardsen
Have to transfer the patients yourself
The Norwegian Health Authority tells Good Evening Norway that they fully understand that the decision may be difficult for the patients of Pirelli Benestad.
– In order to look after them in the best possible way, the doctor who has lost his authorization is therefore obliged to ensure that these patients are transferred to, and get in touch with, other parts of the service that can help them. The patients’ GPs are central here, and the specialist health service’s obligation to provide guidance is of great importance, says assistant director of the Norwegian Health Inspectorate, Heidi Merete Rudi.
Furthermore, the Norwegian Health Authority says that they see it as worrying that the public provision does not have better capacity.
– However, these conditions cannot justify continuing a practice that is unjustifiable and threatens patient safety, which we believe is the case in this case, says Rudi.
They further say that there is great professional disagreement about the treatment of people with gender incongruence, and that the Norwegian Health Authority has not taken a decision on which approach should apply.
– But we have assessed Pirelli Benestad’s actions against the guidelines and recommendations for interdisciplinary and proper investigation on which there is professional agreement.
The Norwegian Health Authority emphasizes that this case has been dealt with with the expertise that the Norwegian Health Authority possesses, without influence from other professional environments.
– We have not obtained and received any input other than the unsolicited ones given by Pirelli Benestad and some of those who support him.
