Founder, The Relatives' Group - Unnatural Deaths in Norwegian Hospitals; Norway

Solveig Eek Bistrup has a background as a nurse and active advocate for patients and families in Norway. She played a key role as founder of “Pårørendegruppen – Unaturlige dødsfall i sykehus” (The Relatives’ Group – Unnatural Deaths in Norwegian Hospitals), an organization supporting families after serious adverse events in hospitals. Bistrup became involved in this work after her own daughter, Elisabeth (28), died due to a serious adverse event in 2007. Since then, Bistrup has been a strong voice for improved patient safety in the Norwegian healthcare system. She has participated in a government-appointed committee aimed at preventing serious adverse events in healthcare and has worked to strengthen quality and safety in health services. She has been involved in making new laws and in establishing the Norwegian Healthcare Investigation Board – a non-sanctioning body set up to investigate and learn from serious adverse events.