Elderly patient mistakenly driven 360 km instead of a short local transfer

A 70-year-old woman was scheduled for a short transfer of about 500 metres from Bærum Hospital to a local institution, yet the taxi drove her over 360 kilometres to Ål in Hallingdal before the mistake was discovered. During the misdirected journey, the patient was left without provisions for food, water or restroom use for many hours. Irene Ranvig Vik, acting department head at Bærum Hospital, said the incident should not have happened and that investigations are ongoing.

Egil Johannessen, department leader at Oslo universitetssykehus, which oversees patient transport in the region, called the error unacceptable and emphasized the hospital’s responsibility for correct bookings. Richard Kongsteien, communications chief for Bærum municipality, also expressed strong criticism, noting that an elderly patient should never be taken to a distant town after a routine examination.