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Rigshospitalet (meaning ''The National'', ''State'' or ''Hospital of the Realm'', but not usually translated) is the largest public and teaching hospital in Copenhagen and the most highly specialised hospital in Denmark. The hospital's main building is a 16-storey functionalist highrise, one of the tallest structures in the central parts of the city. Rigshospitalet neighbours the Panum Building which houses the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. As a teaching hospital it is part of the framework organisation Copenhagen University Hospital.


Name

The Danish name is not usually translated to English. The prefix ''Rigs-'' is used in the names of some Danish state institutions, especially in a solemn or prestigious context or for authorities serving for the whole Danish Realm including Greenland and the Faroe Islands. It is the genitive of ''rige'' ('realm, kingdom, empire') and the
cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...
word is used similarly in Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic and Dutch (and in German until 1945). The prefix ''Stats-'' ('of the state') is more widely used, but implies a slightly lower level in the hierarchy. Although Rigshospitalet was founded as a state hospital, as opposed to the normal hospitals operated by counties, the Danish term ''Statshospital'' was until 1977 used only for psychiatric institutions. The hospital itself explains the name was given because its predecessor, Royal Frederick's Hospital, was handed over to the state and became open to patients from the whole Danish Realm. Rigshospitalet is often abbreviated ''RH'' and colloquially also called ''Riget'' (literally meaning 'the realm' or 'the kingdom'), hence the name of von Trier's thriller TV series '' The Kingdom'' which was set at the hospital, and
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
's American version '' Kingdom Hospital''.


History

Rigshospitalet was founded on 30 March 1757 as Kongelig Frederiks Hospital, named after King Frederick V and situated in
Bredgade Bredgade ( lit. "Broad Street") is one of the most prominent streets in Copenhagen, Denmark. Running in a straight line from Kongens Nytorv for just under one kilometre to the intersection of Esplanaden and Grønningen, it is one of the major stre ...
in central Copenhagen. The buildings are now occupied by the
Danish Museum of Art & Design The Designmuseum Denmark () is a museum in Copenhagen for Danish and international design and crafts. It features works of famous Danish designers like Arne Jacobsen, Jacob Jensen and Kaare Klint, who was one of the two architects who remodeled ...
. Since 1903 the state has been the owner of the hospital (whereas other hospitals in Denmark are owned by the regions, formerly by the counties). In 1910 the hospital was renamed and moved to its present location in ten low buildings surrounding a central garden designed by architect Martin Borch. In 1970 most of the buildings were replaced by the present highrise concrete building designed by architect
Jørgen Stærmose Jørgen is a Danish, Norwegian, and Faroese masculine given name cognate to George People with the given name Jørgen * Jørgen Aall (1771–1833), Norwegian ship-owner and politician * Jørgen Andersen (1886–1973), Norwegian gymnast * Jørgen ...
, while some of the surrounding older buildings still serve hospital functions. In 1995 the hospital was handed over to
Hovedstadens Sygehusfællesskab Hovedstadens Sygehusfællesskab (H:S) was a Danish health trust which was founded on 1 January 1995 to run health care services in Copenhagen and Frederiksberg. There were five hospitals under its command. After the structural reform, Hovedstade ...
(HS, The Capital Hospital Trust) which in 2007 was absorbed by the Capital Region. In 2007 a
helipad A helipad is a landing area or platform for helicopters and powered lift aircraft. While helicopters and powered lift aircraft are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard s ...
was built on top of the hospital. Until then, rescue helicopters and helicopters transferring patients would land in the neighbouring park Fælledparken. In 2021 Rigshospitalet was ranked as the worlds 15th best hospital by Statista and Newsweek.


Key figures

As of 2021, some key figures at Rigshospitalet are:


Services

Rigshospitalet's mission is to be Denmark's leading hospital for patients needing highly specialized treatment. Its main specialist role has been enhanced in recent years by the decision that it should serve as the host institution for many of Copenhagen's speciality departments. Because of this, other hospitals refer patients to Rigshospitalet for the unique expertise available there. Rigshospitalet's neighbor, the Panum Building, houses the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. This proximity optimizes a close cooperation between the two in the fields of research and development. The Nordic Cochrane Centre and the University Centre for Nursing and Care Research are in Rigshospitalet. With 1,120 beds, Rigshospitalet has responsibility for 65,000 inpatients and approximately 420,000 outpatients annually. In addition to its 8,000 personnel (7,000 full-time equivalents), the hospital trains, hosts, and has the in-service advantages of students of medicine and other health care sciences, as well as scientists working within Rigshospitalet under a variety of research grants. Rigshospitalet has a trauma centre specialised at receiving severely injured patients. Ordinary
emergency department An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of pati ...
treatment has been relegated to the other hospitals in Copenhagen.


Social and cultural significance

The hospital was the location of von Trier's television horror mini-series '' The Kingdom''. Members of the Danish royal family prefer to give birth here.
Queen Margrethe Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark. Having reigned as Denmark's monarch for over 50 years, she is Europe's longest-serving current head of state and the world's only incumbent femal ...
and Prince Henrik's children, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim, were both born at Rigshospitalet. Likewise Crown Princess Mary gave birth to her four children by Crown Prince Frederik:
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, Isabella,
Vincent Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer''). People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor *Vincent van Gogh ...
, and Josephine, and all of Prince Joachim's four children were born here: Nikolai, Felix, Henrik and Athena.


Blood contamination

Two patients were infected with HIV at Rigshospitalet in February 2007 after getting a blood transfusion with infected blood. The contagion could, according to experts, probably have been discovered if the blood had been tested with a nucleic acid test, which since 2009 is a requirement. 070818 berlingske.dk


Images

Rigshospitalet 20130427 0004F (8739514693).jpg, Main entrance File:Takeoff (8725559246).jpg, EH101 helicopter takeoff from helipad File:Rigshospitalet 1910.jpg, Rigshospitalet in 1910


See also

* Rikshospitalet * Karolinska University Hospital * Sahlgrenska University Hospital


References


External links

*
Website of Copenhagens University Hospital, (in Danish only)


{{Authority control Hospitals in Copenhagen 1757 establishments in Denmark Hospitals established in the 1750s Skyscrapers in Denmark