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– I feel like they’re trying to find a scapegoat. I thought this was a serious law firm. “I have clarified to investigators how this was twice, most recently two days ago,” the ship’s doctor tells NRK.
On July 31, MS “Roald Amundsen” docked in Tromsø. Four of the crew were ill and had to be sent to hospital. Later, Hurtigruten stayed in bed because they didn’t report the corona infection. Already on the first voyage, on July 21, the crew members were admitted to the ship’s hospital. None of them underwent tests for coronary heart disease when they arrived in Tromsø on July 24.
The trips caused one of the biggest outbreaks of infection in Norway this summer. A total of 71 people were infected with corona aboard Roald Amundsen, 29 passengers and 42 crew members.
On Thursday afternoon, the Hurtigruten board said
I feel sorry for the people of Norway.
The report released Thursday afternoon indicated that a Filipino doctor aboard the first voyage recommended that isolated crew members be tested, but it was dropped after speaking with a Norwegian doctor. The investigation of the trip affirms that it was an error of judgment.
– I was shocked. On the contrary, it was I who demanded the proof. We had a clear relationship between the Filipino doctor, myself and myself, he says.
Crushing verdict for Hurtigruten: these are the wrong steps
I wanted to try
– In no way have I tried to withhold the evidence. I am not interested, on the contrary. That’s why I asked the Filipino doctor for the tests when we approached Tromsø.
He says it was the Filipino doctor who took the initiative to get tested outside of Bjørnøya, but that the day before calling Tromsø, when the Norwegian doctor requested the tests, the Filipino doctor had changed his mind. He explained this by saying that they had improved a lot, something the Norwegian doctor took note of.
– It amazes me that the Commission of Inquiry has not included it in its report.
– Did you suspect coronary disease?
– I did not suspect Covid. They told me that they had been quarantined, that they had been evaluated twice and I assumed this, he says.
Jan Fougner of Wiersholm Law Firm Introduces Report on EM Roald Amundsen Outbreak
Photo: Christian Kråkenes / NRK
The report states that the division of responsibilities among the doctors was unclear. This is also what the first cruise ship’s doctor disagrees with, who says it was the Filipino doctor who treated the Filipino crew.
– My role was to take care of Norwegian passengers, in case of illness on board.
The Norwegian ship’s doctor says he has told investigators twice, through his lawyer. This is confirmed by lawyer Hugo Storø.
– My client has complied with the recommendation of the Filipino doctor that he did not consider it necessary to test the crew members who were isolated because they were improving and that this was considered non-covid. The doctor is an experienced ship doctor and my client has no general relationship with him. This has been communicated to researchers who have obviously chosen to omit this explanation even though this has been specified in a separate letter on two occasions, Storø writes in a message to NRK.
– Encharged job
After watching the press conference, the ship’s doctor believes that the presentation has been completely reversed.
The investigative work has been led by DNV GL and the Wiersholm Law Firm. They have both been Hurtigruten consultants before, but believe it is not problematic.
At the beginning of the press conference, head of investigation and attorney Jan Fougner in Wiersholm emphasized that the Roald Amundsen outbreak was not due to a single incident or the actions of an individual. However, the ship’s doctor receives strong criticism. It was a bit expensive for the ship’s doctor on the voyage where the crew first fell ill.
– The big problem, that the crew was not quarantined, they have put less emphasis, he believes.
It has not been possible to obtain a comment from investigation leader and lawyer Jan Fougner.
