Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2012/04/26/swedish_database_mixup/
Swedish men ordered to present cervices in database flub
Health official promises 'in-depth' investigation
Posted in Databases, 26th April 2012 19:37 GMT
A database screw-up saw 2,056 Swedish men ordered to report to their gynecologists and midwives for smear tests.
Health officials in Stockholm County and the island of Gotland are mailing the men to tell them to disregard the missive, The Local reports.
Meanwhile midwives are "briefed and ready' on how to deal with any confused men who do turn up at women's clinics demanding their turn in the stirrups.
Henrik Almkvist, speaking for the health authority, told The Local that it usually generated its mailing list for smear tests by first sorting its database by gender - and, unsurprisingly, excluding men.
However, this year, the male exclusion process was not completed, meaning that upwards of 2,056 men were summoned to come in and present their cervix for inspection.
"We are conducting an in-depth analysis, making sure that it doesn’t happen again. In a few days we’ll know where in the chain of events it went wrong. It may just have been the human factor," Almkvist told the paper.
All the men will receive a letter of apology he added, which may even arrive before the original letter, which was sent second class.
He added that any if any confused, distraught or simply curious men do turn up at the women's clinics, the midwives will have a chat to them and apologize for the inconvenience. ®