Response to interpellation 2025/26:15 on patients from Gaza
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
KD does not rule out that Sweden receives patients from Gaza as a complement to support on-site 1. KD argues that Swedish healthcare is world-class and that the priority for aid funds is that as many as possible should receive a share 2. KD emphasizes that it has not been feasible so far to fly patients here due to administration and patient safety 2. KD argues that the government's basic position is that the help does the most good in the surrounding area 3 4. SD considers it inappropriate to receive patients from Gaza because Sweden already has too few healthcare places 5. SD argues that resources must be used for the own population 5 and that the security risk of infiltration from Hamas makes it impossible to guarantee safety 6 7.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)
Mr. Speaker! The interpellator has asked me if I can rule out the possibility of patients from Gaza being transported to Sweden to receive medical care and, if I cannot rule this out, how I justify such a measure given the distance and the number of countries and hospitals between Sweden and Gaza.
Nima Gholam Ali Pour has also asked me whether I have taken the initiative for an analysis of the risks that Hamas could infiltrate groups of patients who might be sent to Sweden and, if I cannot rule out the possibility that patients from Gaza receive healthcare in Sweden, whether I have considered how this could affect Swedish healthcare.
It is very welcome and long-awaited that Israel and Hamas have agreed on the first phase of a peace plan. The ceasefire has come into effect, and the hostages have been released. After two years of war and indescribable suffering, there is now hope. It is important that the agreement is implemented and that steps are taken towards a lasting end to the hostilities as well as towards a two-state solution. The unfathomable suffering of the civilian population in Gaza must come to an end. Unhindered, safe, and lasting humanitarian access to all parts of Gaza is required.
The Government does not rule out, like other countries, receiving patients for care in Sweden as a complement to support on-site. This applies to all the places in the world that are currently being shaken by major humanitarian pressures on the civilian population. The Government is continuously reviewing its humanitarian commitment to ensure that Swedish aid funds are used in the best way.
Carrying out medical evacuations would be associated with very great administrative difficulties. Medical evacuations are complex operations that require careful preparations, logistical planning, and legal handling. On every occasion, the circumstances must be considered, including how we can reach out with help to those in need as quickly as possible and how we additionally best help as many as possible. This is very difficult to do on-site, but it is also very complicated to transport severely injured persons here.
In addition, both the migration law framework and the capacity of the Swedish health and medical care must be taken into account. In the current situation, it is crucial to ensure that people receive immediate help where they are.
The government decided at the end of September on a new support package to Gaza of 420 million kronor. With this, Sweden has since the beginning of the war contributed over 1.5 billion kronor in humanitarian aid to the response in Gaza.
To assist the challenging healthcare situation, Sweden has, among other things, provided extra support to Unicef, which assists children and families with health and medical care and social support, to ICRC, which delivers life-saving medical equipment and healthcare support, as well as to UNFPA, which works with life-saving obstetric care, maternal healthcare, and newborn care. The Government has also allocated funds to the Egyptian Red Crescent's work for Gaza. The Swedish support is aimed at interventions related to medical evacuations from Gaza as well as logistical support for humanitarian deliveries into Gaza.
In conclusion, I would like to mention that the government has tasked the National Board of Health and Welfare with assessing the possibility of donating medical products to disaster- or war-affected areas abroad through the EU's civil protection mechanism. This has, among other things, resulted in Sweden donating requested medical equipment to Egypt, which is receiving patients from Gaza. Sweden has additionally contributed personnel to the EU's border support operation, which earlier this year played an important role in enabling severely injured individuals to leave Gaza to receive care.
The government will continue to support the humanitarian response in Gaza.
Nima Gholam Ali Pour (SD)
Mr. Speaker! The war between Hamas and Israel began on October 7, 2023, after a brutal and unprovoked attack by Hamas where they murdered and kidnapped civilians as well as committed horrific atrocities. No matter how much the pro-Palestinian left demonstrates, and no matter how much facts are distorted, this fact will not change: Hamas started the war, and Israel is defending itself against a terrorist organization.
Unfortunately, Hamas is a cowardly organization that hides among Palestinian civilians. This has resulted in far too many Palestinian civilians losing their lives and being injured. However, it is, once again, Hamas that bears the blame.
That Hamas hides among civilian Palestinians also becomes a problem for all those countries that receive patients from Gaza. Given the chaos prevailing in Gaza and that Hamas is an organization that completely disregards both the lives and health of Palestinians and Jews, it is risky to even take patients from Gaza at all.
It is obvious that Hamas, as always, would prioritize its own members and these members' relatives and friends. Therefore, one of the questions I have asked the Minister is whether she has taken the initiative to conduct an analysis of the risks that Hamas could infiltrate groups of patients who might potentially be sent to Sweden.
Apart from the fact that there is a great risk that Swedish healthcare would be provided to Hamas terrorists and their relatives, it is strange that some argue that we can accept patients from Gaza while Swedish healthcare is overloaded. How does that add up? Is healthcare overloaded, or do we have the capacity to accept people from other countries? It cannot be both.
I must also ask the Minister for Health if she agrees with me that Swedish healthcare must prioritize Swedes. As long as we have people who need to wait months and years to receive care – which they have financed through tax funds that they have paid into – we cannot even consider accepting patients from Gaza. It must be completely ruled out to accept these people. Today, we have people who need to wait a long time to receive care here in Sweden – far too long. Just a few weeks ago, I spoke with an elderly lady who had waited three years for her operation. How can the government, under these conditions, even consider accepting patients from Gaza?
That is why I have asked the Minister for Health and Social Affairs if she can rule out the possibility that patients from Gaza are transported to Sweden to receive medical care. It is important that that question is answered and that Swedish citizens can see what the government actually prioritizes.
Furthermore, I believe quite a few wonder why this problem cannot be solved in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, which is located quite close to Gaza, has more than 500 hospitals. That is about five times more hospitals than Sweden has. It is unclear how many patients Saudi Arabia has actually received from Gaza. There are quite a few wealthy countries in the region with quite a few prominent hospitals. Why should these people be flown all the way to Sweden?
Sara Gille (SD)
Mr. Speaker! Sweden is already in a healthcare crisis. The National Board of Health and Welfare states that we have around 2.1 available healthcare beds per 1,000 inhabitants, which is one of the lowest figures in all of Europe.
We see the consequences every day: emergency rooms forced to close due to staff shortages and patients sent home too early because there is no space. We have a healthcare apparatus that is on its knees, staff who are wearing themselves out, and people who are forced to seek care in other regions just to get help at all. In this situation, demands are therefore being put forward by certain parties and trade union organizations that Sweden should accept patients from Gaza.
We have also now heard the minister himself confirm that the government does not rule this out. On the contrary, they leave the door open despite simultaneously admitting that it would be "very complicated" and that Swedish healthcare is already under severe pressure. It is precisely this kind of ambiguity that creates mistrust, because the Swedish people hear the message: It is possible that our own hospitals will receive patients from Gaza while elderly people in Sweden are denied care because the resources are insufficient.
Between Gaza and Sweden there are about twenty countries, many with both proximity, resources and capacity. Egypt, Jordan and Turkey have large hospitals and long experience of handling war-wounded. Yet it is Sweden, a country on the other side of the Mediterranean and with a healthcare system in free fall, that is expected to open the doors, Mr. Speaker.
No, this is not solidarity. This is betraying one's own citizens. We have Swedish patients who live with pain for months because they do not receive the surgery they need and patients who die while waiting for care. To fly patients from the Middle East to Sweden in that situation is not humanism but a mockery of those who have built up and financed our welfare system.
Mr. Speaker! Gaza is ruled by Hamas, an Islamist terrorist organization that for decades has spread terror, death, hate, and all that not only in Israel but in the entire Western world. Hamas has been on both the EU's and the UN's terror lists for over 20 years. Since 2007, Hamas has ruled Gaza with an iron fist. They have executed political opponents, recruited child soldiers, hidden weapons in schools and hospitals, and used civilians as human shields. Hamas's entire strategy is built on transforming civilian environments into war zones. It is this organization that practically controls the entire area, Mr. Speaker – and thus also who could be sent to Sweden.
For us Sweden Democrats, it is crystal clear. Swedish healthcare shall primarily go to the Swedish people. The government has already sent over 1.5 billion kronor in aid to Gaza. That is enough. That is enough! Swedish tax money must primarily go to the care of Swedish patients. I would therefore like to ask the Minister: Can the government guarantee that Swedish patients will not be sidelined for patients from Gaza and that a Swedish healthcare system shall also in the future be for the Swedish people primarily?
Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)
Mr. Speaker! I think it is a bit of a pity that one tries to twist up a level of conflict that doesn't really exist in an issue. It serves no purpose.
I also want to turn a bit towards the description of Swedish healthcare as something in free fall. We have incredibly competent staff out there. Swedish healthcare is world-class. We have problems with accessibility, and we have problems with primary care that is unable to manage to constitute the first line that it needs to constitute. But when it comes to cutting-edge expertise, cancer care, and precision medicine, we are doing incredibly well. It is important to get that said. Swedish healthcare maintains incredibly high quality and is very good.
If it is the case that healthcare personnel assess that they have the capacity to care for more patients – that is what lies behind this – I cannot question that assessment. I do hope, however, that it also appeared in my answer that the priority for the money we allocate to reduce the suffering in Gaza is that it should benefit as many as possible. Therefore, it has not been relevant to bring patients here, because we do not see that this is how we best help those who are injured and need care.
However, in some situations, there can be a benefit for Swedish healthcare in performing certain types of care. We have, for example, taken in a number of patients from Ukraine, which provides good training for the healthcare system to handle certain resistant bacteria, certain difficult operations, and certain rehabilitation. We are in the process of building up and strengthening the preparedness for Swedish health and medical care, which is absolutely crucial for our resilience and our preparedness. Therefore, there can be benefits for us in practicing certain types of care.
The prioritization for the funds allocated to reduce the suffering in Gaza is, however, that they should reach as many as possible and that we can perform work as effectively and well as possible. Therefore, it has not been feasible so far, for exactly the reasons the debaters raise – such as administration and patient safety. Flying patients long distances is not particularly wise.
I also mean that patients should not be used for political posturing or political debate, but rather that patients should be cared for where they can receive the best care. That is what is guiding us when it comes to how we design the support.
Nima Gholam Ali Pour (SD)
Mr. Speaker! In this debate, it is important to highlight that the entire idea of bringing patients from Gaza here is pure symbolic politics from the pro-Palestinian left. As I said earlier, there are more than 500 hospitals in Saudi Arabia alone. Given the healthcare that is available in certain oil states in the Middle East, there is no reason whatsoever to fly these people to Europe.
One can then add that the countries that have in various ways supported Hamas have an obligation to receive these patients. These countries include, among others, Iran, Qatar, and Turkey. There are plenty of hospitals in these three countries that can receive many patients from Gaza. Now, however, the Social Democrats, the Green Party, and the Left Party – with close ties to the Palestinian left – have for several months pushed the proposal that Sweden, which is located in northern Europe, should for some strange reason receive patients from Gaza, which is located in the Middle East.
The red-green parties want Sweden to do this even though Sweden has already provided a lot in aid so that the Palestinians can receive healthcare from various UN and aid organizations. Sweden has, therefore, already paid for the Palestinians' healthcare in the surrounding area. But now the red-green parties want, for some strange reason, that they are flown here.
It is important that the Minister for Health rejects such symbolic politics. Even though other European countries have received patients from Gaza, this is still symbolic politics. There is always a risk that these European countries ultimately provide healthcare to Hamas or their allies. Sweden cannot take that risk. Sweden cannot in any way support terrorists.
Somewhere one also has to ask what principle the whole thing rests on. If we in Sweden were to accept patients from Gaza, would it mean that we would in the future accept patients from all wars in the Middle East? Would it mean that we would accept patients from the wars where one side has protesters here in Sweden who place demands on Swedish politicians?
Why should Sweden receive patients from specifically Gaza? There are quite a lot of wars going on in the world, and it would obviously be unsustainable if Sweden were to receive patients from all the world's wars.
It is also directly inappropriate to receive these persons, given that Sweden is one of the countries in Europe that has the fewest healthcare beds in relation to the population. Every healthcare bed occupied by a patient from Gaza would mean a risk that Swedish patients are discharged too early or that the queues become even longer. There is no reason for us to take these risks. It is important that the Minister for Health and Social Affairs is clear and rules out that Sweden should receive patients from Gaza.
We find ourselves in a situation where it is truly important that all resources within healthcare are used for our own population. It is quite revealing that the red-green parties do not understand this and instead insist that we should accept patients from Gaza. It is important that the Minister for Health sees how unreasonable such demands are and that there is no popular support for this in Sweden, when we have elderly people who have to wait several years for their operations.
I hope that the Minister for Health can emphasize that healthcare places for our taxpayers are more important than symbolic politics to appease the pro-Palestine left.
Sara Gille (SD)
Mr. Speaker! We know that Hamas already has logistical networks in Europe and that terrorists have previously used civilian transport as a cover. We also know that it happens when Europe opens borders in the name of humanity without considering the consequences.
Only this year, several European intelligence services have warned of increased jihadist activity and attempts at infiltration via humanitarian routes. In Germany, Hamas members are facing trial for having planned attacks against Jewish targets and American interests in Europe. To then say that Sweden does not rule out receiving patients from Gaza is irresponsible. It is not just about healthcare places but also about national security.
How are we to know who is getting off an ambulance flight at Arlanda? How are we to guarantee that no one exploits medical evacuations to smuggle in persons with links to Hamas?
Mr. Speaker! Swedish hospitals must never, ever become a backdoor for Islamist infiltration. They must be safe places for patients here in Sweden, for Swedish citizens. They must not be a part of the Middle East's conflicts. Our healthcare needs hospital beds, more nurses and more doctors – not more tasks that belong in a war zone.
I would like to conclude by asking the Minister whether the government has made a concrete security assessment of the risk of infiltration via medical evacuations. How does the Minister view the fact that Hamas already has networks in Europe?
Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)
Mr. Speaker! The legal prerequisites are not in place right now. It has not been relevant. Should we for some reason judge that we can do more here, it is of course clear that a thorough security assessment must take place. It is not the healthcare system that does this, but rather the police and other authorities who are better equipped for it. This applies regardless of which countries or conflicts we are talking about – if we are to start accepting patients.
As it works today, it happens, as I was mentioning before, that patients are actually flown far away for special care. It can be in the case of very severe burns or similar. This is something that contributes to the healthcare's learning and development. There is, therefore, a function in that one can have this type of exchange, and not least to also save lives.
I want to say again that the government's position is that it is not ruled out to receive patients from Gaza or any other country affected by war. That is the basic position. The basic position is, however, also that we provide aid where it does the most good and that the money is used in the best way. We do not see this as an effective and good way to save lives and help patients when we can better help nearby and on-site. It can be in neighboring countries such as Egypt, to which we have also provided resources.
It is also worth reminding of something that the members are also aware of. This is not an efficient way to handle patients. It concerns very few. A number of countries in Europe have opened up for this possibility. It took five months for Norway from the decision until the first patients were received, and it concerns about twenty patients.
This is, therefore, nothing that displaces other care. It concerns very few people, and that is also the reason why we see that we can do better good in the local area. That is the government's position.
Nima Gholam Ali Pour (SD)
Mr. Speaker! I would like to thank the Minister for Health and Care for the debate. I have presented some quite strong arguments regarding why it is completely unreasonable to fly Palestinians from Gaza here to receive healthcare in Sweden.
Of all these arguments, it is precisely the security risk that carries the most weight. In my opinion, it is just now impossible to guarantee that those who actually come here from Gaza are not Hamas members or have any association with Hamas. As long as we cannot guarantee this, it should be completely ruled out to take in patients from Gaza at all.
It is also completely indefensible, given the current situation within Swedish healthcare, to bring Palestinians from Gaza here when we have a shortage of care beds, staff shortages, queues, and other overloads within healthcare. One must take care of one's own first before trying to help the whole world. I think that is a good principle in all activities. Sweden has also already done a lot. Through aid, Sweden has ensured that many Palestinians from Gaza have received care in the surrounding area.
I hope that these arguments are sufficient for the Minister for Health and Social Affairs to rule out the proposal that the Social Democrats, the Green Party, and the Left Party have been pushing for some months now. Sweden needs politicians who put the Swedish people first. Right now, it is obvious to the whole country that we do not have the access to healthcare that we need to have.
Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)
Mr. Speaker! It is excluded to expose oneself to risks and not perform a proper risk assessment. As I said, it is not the healthcare system that should do it, but it is those who can do it. It is clear that Sweden shall not, through its healthcare, become a haven for terrorism.
I want to say again that the government's position is that we want to use the resources where they do the most good to reduce suffering and save lives. This is what we do, and this is what we intend to continue to do. We do not, however, rule out accepting patients from any war zone if this should turn out to be the best way to achieve the best effect and save lives.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.