The hospital that puts children first

"We offer what non-Swedes living in Sweden expect from their healthcare provider." Peter Wasmuth, CEO 

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Your child is the greatest priority at Martina Children's Hospital. The central theme to prioritize the child was initiated as a result of a shared belief by a number of Swedish healthcare pediatric doctors and nurses. They felt that the care in Sweden for children’s heath could be improved.  

New concept

The result is the Martina Children’s Hospital, conceptualized by the young pediatric nurse and namesake, Martina Ullman. Martina explains how the concept was born:

"I was critical towards the way children's health was organized; in the emergency ward as well as in specialized care." Martina observed that 80-90 percent of emergency room cases for children were to treat minor emergencies like sprains, breaks and cuts. "The solution was obviously a hospital which provides care exclusively to children with minor medical emergencies and general care."

CLICK HERE FOR A GALLERY OF PHOTOS OF MARTINA CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

In Sweden, the traditional approach to children’s medical care directs the sick child to a general practitioner who then may or may not refer the child to a pediatric physician.  Martina’s concept cuts out the non-pediatric entry point and brings your child straight into the care of a staff made up completely of pediatric doctors and nurses.

"At Martina, you get these specialists right away," says Peter Wasmuth, CEO of Martina's Children’s Hospital.

Martina Children's Hospital is Sweden’s first and only exclusively privately funded children's hospital in cooperation and proximity of Sophiahemmet in Östermalm.

However, all families who search for more personalized and attentive medical care for their children up to 18 are welcome to subscribe to the hospital as members for quite reasonable fees. For more information, see below or at the website of Martina Children's Hospital.

Why subscribe to Martina Children's Hospital?

Access. Medical care is only helpful if you can be seen by a medical professional. As a Martina patient you avoid the normal long waiting times for doctor appointments. Because your first point of entry with an unwell child is a pediatrician you skip the additional waiting times to see a pediatric specialist. As an example, the current expected wait for conferral regarding a pediatric specialist is normally a couple of months, in some cases up to a year.

At Martina they will refer you to a cooperating specialist in a matter of weeks if not days.  While not all procedures can be performed by staff in house, "your primary doctors at Martina can guide you and help you navigate through the system," assures Wasmuth. 

Specialists first

Each of Martina's staff is either a trained paediatric nurse or doctor who have years of training and experience to know what children need both emotionally and medically. At Martina, everything is inter-connected. Your child’s medical records are all consolidated at Martina Children's Hospital even if your child was treated by another doctor. In Sweden, there is no centralised collection for medical records, but at Martina, it is possible to collect the medical records from other clinics and keep them together.

The doctors and nurses at Martina want to get to know you and your child. They encourage parents to select a primary doctor who will remain your child’s doctor for as long as you wish.

They will also do it in English if you prefer. All of the staff speak English. It can be frustrating when you don't fully understand your doctor's diagnosis, prognosis and treatment recommendation. Using English, you can say what you need to say the way you need to say it.

Just like home

The hospital is located in a house which was once a private home. It is a warm, inviting environment which provides comfort and security to children and parents alike. Some parents "complain" that the children don't want to leave. Jennifer Frisk, the American mother of three-year old Noah, speaks well of the cleanliness of the facility.

"At Martina, they clean the waiting room tables and toys after you leave, which is so nice," she recalled.

Frisk is particularly satisfied with the attentive care Martina offers.

"You do not feel like just another number in the queue but a concerned parent with a sick child," she told The Local. "I feel they treat my son as they would treat their own children."

Ann-Sofie Eriksson is a child neurologist at Martina Children’s Hospital. She is one of the doctors parents can choose. When asked how she regards her patients, she explained, "I want to be available to ‘my children.'"

Efficient time planning

Seventy percent of patients are seen in five minutes and 90 percent in less than 10 minutes.

"We think 20 minutes is a long time" Dita Engelsmann, patient relations coordinator, told The Local. "Employers and parents benefit from our emphasis on punctuality. Taking a child to see us is something that a parent knows will take a fixed amount of time. They know it is not a whole day event."

Listening to customers

The hospital receives no financial funding from the Swedish government and relies on its ever-growing stream of subscribing members. This means it is in their interests to satisfy their customers.

"We listen to the parents," said Engelsmann.
 
The services of Barnsjukhuset Martina are available to all children insured for medical care by a major insurance company, as well as members of Martina's annual subscription or those who pay 1,400 kronor ($180.40) per visit.

Martina's annual subscription offers unlimited access to all services at Martina Children's Hospital (Martina#s Health Care Services). The subscription may cover up to six children who are siblings or cousins and the price is based on the number of children. The annual fee for one child is 2,350 kronor a year and 3,500 kronor for two. In addition, there is a 200 kronor fee per visit. 

The Local readers can enjoy a 5 percent discount. Contact Engelsmann and mention this article. She will send you the proper application forms to receive the discount. You can reach her by e-mail dita.engelsmann@bsmartina.se or by phone at +46 70 162 12 33.

Opening hours

Monday-Thursday: 8am-8pm
Friday: 8am-5pm
Sunday: 12pm-6pm 

For questions and/or appointments, phone service is available at +46 8 406 2370 on Fridays from 5pm-8pm and Saturdays from 12pm-3pm.

Opening hours during the spring holidays here.

This article is sponsored by Martina Children's Hospital.