Centralized Pediatric Surgery in the Nordic Countries: A Role Model for Europe?

Nearly all neonatal surgical conditions are classified as rare diseases in Europe. Due to rapidly developing treatment modalities and novel surgical techniques, as well as increasing demands from patients, there is a growing need for centralization of advanced pediatric surgical care. However, the optimal way to concentrate pediatric surgical experience in each country remains unclear and depends on multiple national features, such as size and distribution of the population, geographical distances, local surgical expertise, organization of the health care system, and political agendas. This review outlines the current practices to concentrate on specialized pediatric surgery in different Nordic countries.