Hospital preps for Swedish royal birth
Published: 17 Feb 12 16:31 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/39180/20120217/
Preparations for Crown Princess Victoria's impending royal birth have angered patients at Karolinska Hospital near Stockholm and sparked a flurry of speculation that the next heir to the Swedish throne may be arriving sooner than anticipated.
- Princess Victoria to give birth in 'early March' (2 Feb 12)
- Princess Victoria: 2011 a 'very rough year' (29 Dec 11)
- Haga: Sweden's 'royal nursery' preps for a new arrival (20 Oct 11)
“I'm all for the Royal Family, but this is ridiculous. I had to park where I'm not allowed to. Just imagine those that have to get around on crutches,” a miffed Lisbeth Thorberg told the Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) newspaper.
Thorberg was reacting to the hospital's decision to block off a series of parking places outside Karolinska's orthopedic ward despite the fact that it remains unclear whether or not the Crown Princess will deliver her baby at the hospital.
"This is just in case, we have no information as to whether she's coming or not... but she might. There is a possibility and I have to prepare for that,” Karolinska spokesperson Klas Östman told The Local.
"If she does decide to have the baby here, then we will have a lot of reporters and media here, and we have to be prepared to accommodate for this."
According to Östman, the hospital has blocked off several “strategic” parking spots so that satellite trucks won't obstruct accessibility for ambulances and other emergency vehicles.
Östman emphasized that while they have been in touch with the Royal Court, the staff don't know for sure whether the Crown Princess will deliver her baby at the hospital.
When contacted by The Local, a Royal Court spokesperson refused to confirm or deny whether the preparations at Karolinska were a sign that Victoria was expected to deliver her baby soon.
"We have released no information as yet, but will be in contact in due course,” the spokesperson told The Local.
The Local/dl/og
twitter.com/thelocalsweden
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Minister: Stockholm riots 'not youth versus society'
With one arrest warrant being issued after four nights of rioting in Stockholm, Sweden's Integration Minister Erik Ullenhag said the rioters are a small minority, and did not represent a clash between young people in the suburbs and Swedish society. READ () »
Firefighter to Stockholm rioters: I'll still help you
A viral Facebook post about the terror of being targeted by stone-throwing youths during to the ongoing Stockholm riots has made firefighter Mattias Lassén into something of a Swedish folk hero, and The Local's pick for Swede of the Week. READ () »
Driving in Sweden: Elk, reindeer, and road rage
Fresh from another near miss with a hulking behemoth of an elk, ex-Londoner Paul Connolly offers up a theory on how the prospect of imminent collisions with wayward wildlife affects the driving habits of Swedes up north. READ () »
Swedish parties agree to major free-school reform
The government and its main opposition have agreed to new rules governing performance requirements and profits at publicly funded, privately managed free schools. READ () »
Swedish scientists chart entire fir tree genome
Scientists at three Swedish universities have managed to muddle through the genetic code for fir trees, seven times larger than the human genome, with potential benefits for the Swedish forestry industry. READ () »
Swedish zoo celebrates rare elephant birth
The Borås Zoo in western Sweden has welcomed a rare new elephant calf as African elephant Dudu gave birth on Wednesday after two years of pregnancy. READ () »
Stockholm riots spread south on fourth night
Wednesday night saw more burning cars, smashed windows, and stone throwing at police in at least 15 suburbs around Stockholm, as the fourth night of riots swept the Swedish capital. READ () »
Karolinska joins free online-course community
Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet has signed up to offer free online courses, joining a network of 27 universities worldwide that reach nearly a million students. READ () »
- 23/05 Driving in Sweden: Elk, reindeer, and road rage »
- 22/05 Bergman auction canned after suspected theft »
- 22/05 Fashion prize turns Rookies into players »
- 21/05 Topless woman to be lifted from Swedish map »
- 20/05 Topless Swedish beach bunny sparks outrage »
- 19/05 Royal wedding fever hits Sweden »
- 18/05 Man wounded in schoolyard shooting »
- 17/05 Danes invade Sweden for Eurovision final »
- 17/05 American 'prince' says no to Swedish citizenship »
- 16/05 Eurovision superfans swarm southern Sweden »
More news from Germany at thelocal.de
- 23/05 A French Psy who made Cannes stars see double »
- 23/05 Diamond necklace 'worth €2m stolen' at Cannes »
More news from France at thelocal.fr
More news from Norway at thelocal.no
- 23/05 Geneva police raid sex parlours over 'tax fraud' »
- 23/05 Swiss diamond necklace 'stolen' at Cannes »
More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch
In cooperation with DoToday
Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss
"BANG!!!! BANG!!!! BANG!!! In the midst of the Stanley Cup’s Eastern Conference semifinals series, every Bostonian knows it is all about Bruins ice hockey. Oh right. I am in Sweden, home of the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation GOLD Champions. And there is certainly no doubt ice hockey fever has taken over Sweden. A lot of Swedes,..." READ »
- 23/5 09:23 REFLECTIONS OF A TWITTER VIRGIN…. (The Diplomatic Dispatch)
- 21/5 21:34 WEEK 21 (Stripes News)
- 16/5 08:32 Be British, be sincere and be bold (Brits Mean Business)
- 22:35 Moving to Sweden from England
- 22:28 Moving to Sweden (Questions) HELP
- 21:49 Husby Riots and violence against the police...
- 21:45 Gym memberships without a personnummer?
- 21:05 Astra 2F (SKY TV)
- 20:55 Restaurant Inspection Scores
- 20:20 Adobo- Filipino Recipe
- 19:13 Is it save to keep money at forexbank?
- 18:49 Found out I'm pregnant!
- 15:14 Freelancer needed to build a website
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE
Casa Birgitta in Algarve, Portugal. Reduced price in best location. Private estate on white sand beach. All amenities included. Book here today! edward_george1@hotmail.com
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com
Your comments about this article:
The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.
....
Sick people are coming to the hospital, most people in the media crew are perfectly healthy and can walk from their parking spaces.
"the hospital has blocked off several "strategic" parking spots so that satellite trucks won't obstruct accessibility for ambulances and other emergency vehicles."
What is hard to understand about that sentence? They are giving them special parking spots so that when the media do as they tend to do, that is do anything to get a shot to the exclusion of common sense, emergency patients aren't delayed.
It's not, as you seem to think, about giving reporters VIP visits to the hospital....
Why not force the media to use mobile film crews and reporters? And to park in locations that do not block ambulances (like the rest of us)?
I am not against Royalty, but I am not so 'pro-press coverage' that I feel that strategic parking spots should be set aside for them for an unknown length of time.
New mothers like to freshen up a bit before interviews anyway, and this will give the media plenty of time to walk across a large parking lot with a mobile film crew along with support staff carting a tripod and lights.
Not a question to you but one inspired by yours: "Why does she have to go to hospital at all?" For centuries, millennia, epochs women gave birth at home. Only when there's a heigthened risk to either the child or the mother is there a clear reason for hospitalisation. Then the press can camp out near wherever the couple live and leave the hospital and its surrounding area clear for those who need it, like pregnant women with complication during birth.
Media trucks meet tow trucks - problem solved.
If it subsequently occurs while London hosts the Olympics and para-Olympics the siege will be total. (Friends who work in London tell me their companies are considering shutting down for those 6-8 weeks as nothing will be able to move.) Add in their Queen's diamond jubilee celebrations that also take place this year no one in Sweden would complain about these spaces being seized.
I'm glad I no longer live in London; give me Stockholm everytime even with a few fewer parking places.
It's not a news event ... yet. She hasn't had the baby so all this is merely reparation for an event that even the hospital doesn't know if it will be involved in. It's speculation but of course the media must not be inconvenienced although the normal users of the hospital can be.
As to staring at The Sun, it makes you blind. Do you really want to be supporting a media mega-corporation with some very dubious practices.
Interesting strategy for discussing.
However, my point still stands, they should not be cordening off any part of the parking area to accomodate media staff. Media should not be allowed to take up space in the parking area designated for people seeking medical attention at the hospital.