Response to interpellation 2025/26:369 on maternity care in Region Skåne
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
KD argues that healthcare is primarily the responsibility of the regions and that the government strengthens the principals' conditions through targeted funds and support 1. KD emphasizes that Region Skåne has succeeded best in reducing queues and that the government has sent billions in unconditional grants to protect healthcare staff 2. KD considers it an employer's responsibility to use medical competence wisely and that the government is now following up on how state grants reach the operations 3. KD acknowledges that previous investments in maternity care were a failure as the funds could not be traced 3. KD argues that funds are distributed in a new way with clearer requirements to produce results and avoid deficits 3. KD emphasizes that targeted investments aim to support the regions so that it is noticeable for staff and patients 4. KD considers that it cannot be said that the regions as a whole are underfunded since they had a surplus of 8 billion during the last year 4. S argues that the state grants are being eroded while other reforms are prioritized 5. S considers that significantly more can be done to increase stability and clarify the rules of the game for the regions 5.
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! Rose-Marie Carlsson has asked me in what way, from my area of responsibility, I will work to ensure that healthcare receives the resources it needs.
I would like to emphasize initially that healthcare is primarily the responsibility of directly elected politicians at the municipal and regional levels with taxing rights. The Government takes its share of the responsibility and strengthens the principals' conditions to provide good and safe care on equal terms. In addition to general funds to the municipal sector, the Government has added targeted funds to healthcare. During the mandate period, the Government has, among other things, allocated nearly 25 billion SEK to shorten healthcare queues and over 13 billion SEK for the transition to good and close care and the development of primary care.
A prerequisite for a good working environment within healthcare is a functioning supply of competence. On behalf of the government, the National Board of Health and Welfare, through the National Healthcare Competence Council, has developed a national plan to improve the supply of competence within healthcare (S2023/00256). In January 2026, the government also decided to allocate 1 billion kronor to municipalities and regions for the purpose of strengthening the supply of competence within healthcare (S2026/00092).
When it comes to maternity care in Sweden, it is generally good and safe, and the vast majority of those who give birth have a positive experience. However, as the interpellor points out, there are ongoing challenges and needs for development. The Government therefore prioritizes measures for equitable, person-centered, and patient-safe maternal healthcare, maternity care, and postpartum care, and during the mandate period, it has allocated just over 6 billion kronor for the area of women's health and maternity care.
An important part of this work is the national plan for care during pregnancy, childbirth, and the period afterwards, which Socialstyrelsen has developed on behalf of the government (S2023/00406). Socialstyrelsen has also been tasked with nationally coordinating, supporting, and following up the work for strengthened maternal health care and childbirth care (S2025/00314).
Regarding the funds allocated for the initiative on maternity care and women's health 2026, the government has decided on a mandate to the National Board of Health and Welfare to pay out 957 million kronor to the regions for maternity care and women's health (S2026/00047). The funds shall be used, among other things, for the implementation of the national plan and measures for strengthened accessibility, clear care chains, increased care capacity, and purposeful competence supply.
In conclusion, the Health and Social Care Inspectorate has also had a mandate for reinforced supervision of maternal health care and maternity care 2023–2025 (S2023/00971). The mandate was finalized on March 31, 2026. We will now review what additional measures may be needed to strengthen maternal health care and maternity care in light of the observations in the report from Ivo.
With that, I would like to thank Rose-Marie Carlsson for the question, and I look forward to the debate.
Rose-Marie Carlsson (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you very much for the answer, Minister!
I stand here today because healthcare in Skåne is in a serious crisis. It is not about individual problems. It is about a development where both the staff's working environment and the patients' safety are being threatened.
In recent years, we have seen growing healthcare queues, a pressured work environment, and staff who are expected to do more with fewer resources. At the same time, the Tidö government in Region Skåne has allowed the surplus to spiral to over 9 billion kronor. The surplus that was previously built up has been gone for a long time, and money is borrowed for operations in the same way as the government borrows money for lowered taxes for high-income earners.
All my professional life I have worked at Sus in Malmö. I know from experience that the staff is loyal, primarily to the patients, but when one is not heard, it fails.
We have had a pandemic whose consequences we are still seeing. The question one can wonder about is whether the staff have actually recovered. Many quit and have not come back. At that time, during the pandemic years, the staff received applause. But what are they getting now?
We cannot have a healthcare system that is built on the sacrifices of the staff instead of on reasonable conditions. It is not without me feeling both sorrow and anger today – sorrow over a development where healthcare staff are being worn down and anger that their warning signs are not taken seriously.
Mr. Speaker! Let me take a concrete example: the maternity care in Malmö. Midwives, nurses, and nursing assistants have themselves raised the alarm about a situation where the workload is so high that patient safety is at risk. This is a very serious message. When those who work closest to the patients raise the alarm, one must listen, but instead of listening and taking responsibility, the staff is met with questioning. That the staff feels forced to go out publicly and is furthermore accused of exaggerating or not telling the truth is a failing grade for the handling of the entire situation. Healthcare is built on trust, and trust is quickly destroyed but takes a long time to build up.
Mr. Speaker! This is not just a regional issue but part of a national development where the regions are being pressured financially while the needs in healthcare are increasing. It is not enough to point at the regions; the state must take greater responsibility.
In his answer, the minister says that the government, among other things, allocates funds for skills supply. That sounds great, but how does it square with the fact that at Sus within Region Skåne, the staff strength is to be reduced by a corresponding 640 full-time positions? No one will, however, be laid off; instead, the positions will be left vacant. If someone leaves, one will therefore have fewer colleagues instead of more colleagues.
I understand that the Minister cannot be held responsible for what the region does, but this clearly shows that healthcare is underfunded not only by the region but also by the state. The question remains: In what way will the Minister, from their area of responsibility, further strengthen the state funding of healthcare so that situations such as that in, for example, maternity care do not occur?
Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Just as the interpellator himself says, the government is making major investments, but it is the regions that then choose what they will do with those investments. We cannot, from the government's side, force the regions to use the funds or to apply for funds.
I would like to take this opportunity to correct some of the facts that were highlighted here. The queues in Region Skåne specifically have not increased during this parliamentary term; rather, Region Skåne is the region, of all 21 regions, that has succeeded best in increasing accessibility and reducing queues. It is now 16,000 fewer patients who are waiting illegally long in queues within Region Skåne. It is truly an achievement that is worth highlighting.
I also know that Region Skåne has had very long-standing problems with its finances. I know that they are having a hard time in the work of rectifying it, and they are not alone in this. There are more regions that are in that situation, but regarding the government's responsibility, the government cannot step in and rescue individual regions' finances. I believe the interpellor is well aware of that, Mr. Speaker.
We have, however, not left the regions in the lurch during this mandate period. During 2024, we allocated 12 billion to the regions to compensate for the increased pension costs resulting from the high inflation. It was a pure sector grant without performance requirements, simply to protect the regions so that they would not have to lay off healthcare staff. During 2025, the regions collectively had a reduced cost of almost 25 billion because the government succeeded in curbing inflation.
This has resulted in the regions having a completely different economic situation today than they had at the beginning of the mandate period and also compared to what they had during the pandemic, which absolutely strained healthcare across the entire country very heavily.
What we see when we close the books for 2025 is that the regions collectively made a surplus of just over 8 billion kronor, so now it is important that the regions do their work and ensure that they have a sustainable cost development and that they work in a way that enables them to meet the residents' needs for care even in the future. In that regard, the government is involved and takes its responsibility, not only with large state grants – those are large state grants in the multi-billion range – but also by supporting with knowledge and support directly to each individual region.
Rose-Marie Carlsson (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thank you very much for the answer.
The debate article that the staff at the maternity ward had written prompted me to write the interpellation, but this is so much broader than maternity care, so I chose to bring in the entire healthcare system and include the region.
I have thought very much about this debate and what I want to focus on. I thought about whether someone who works in the operations as a nurse, nursing assistant, or something else would listen to our debate – the one I have with the minister – while we stand and talk and say that so and so much is being invested. How is the staff who work closest to the patients supposed to notice and know that investments are being made and see the results of these investments? While we stand here and discuss in this way, the staff in healthcare are struggling, often under great pressure and in a work environment that there is much to say about.
I have worked at Sus in Malmö for many years and have experienced savings in various ways during the entire time I have worked there, but at some point, one reaches the end of the road. It is no longer possible – it is not possible to save any more.
We know that the costs in healthcare are increasing, and we are investing money in research that allows us to treat more patients. New treatments and new medicines are arriving, and more patients can be cured. It is fundamentally something very positive, and we can save more lives, but at the same time, the funding has not kept pace.
The hollowed-out state grants and adjustments for prices and wages in the regions do not correspond to reality, and just as the minister said, many regions are burdened with large deficits. As I said earlier, Region Skåne's deficit is 9 billion, of which healthcare accounts for more than 2 billion.
The Tidö parties, which govern Region Skåne, see it as a sport to strive for the country's lowest regional tax, and the minister's party comrades are involved in governing the region and hold chairmanships in three hospital boards that pass austerity package after austerity package. We now see the consequences of the savings; it is austerity packages, cuts, and a healthcare system that is pushed to the breaking point.
What truly concerns me, Mr. Speaker, is what happens in the operations when healthcare staff are forced to clean, wash dishes, and handle logistics instead of taking care of patients, and when the schedule breaks apart a functioning team and makes it difficult to balance life with children and family. It concerns me what happens when staff within, among other things, the maternity ward work twelve-hour shifts in an already pressured maternity care, and when the staff say that they are doing their job but that they are not given the right conditions. This is not just a work environment problem but a threat to the quality of care.
It is ultimately a matter of political priorities. When state grants are eroded while other reforms are prioritized – for example, tax cuts for those who already have – the bill is sent to the regions and further to the staff and the patients. When the staff repeatedly sound the alarm, they deserve not to be dismissed. They deserve to be listened to.
The staff highlight their working situation, but no one listens to them or takes it seriously; instead, they are told the opposite, that they are speaking falsely. That is the reason why I raise this issue here today; if their voices are not heard anywhere else, I want them to be heard here in the Riksdag.
The question remains: How will the Minister, from their area of responsibility, provide the healthcare system with stable and long-term funding?
Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)
Mr. Speaker! I agree that it is completely unsustainable to work with petty savings that force staff to devote themselves to a lot of tasks that other staff could do. It is incredibly important that we take advantage of the competence of the medical staff so that they get their due and we use these resources wisely in healthcare. It is an employer's responsibility.
The government provides much more operational support through Socialstyrelsen to facilitate for the regions to plan their work, their production, and their capacity in order to achieve better flows in the processes and use the medical expertise in a purposeful way. We are quite convinced that it is a work environment problem when the staff is not used in a good way and when one does not have good processes for the care that is to be performed.
Incredibly much good is happening out in the regions. But I need to return to, Mr. Speaker, that it is precisely the regions that lay out and plan the work and who are responsible for the working environment. The Government takes its responsibility by supporting the regions in that work.
During the mandate period, we have made a number of initiatives aimed at spreading good examples. We convene the regions so that they can share good working methods. We have, among other things, a queue coordinator who is now traveling around all regions to meet those who administer the queues and look at how different processes have been able to be streamlined. It strengthens the work environment, and it also saves money. Resources are not just money.
We have followed up on the state grants that have been completely unconditional and seen that they have not benefited the staff. The interpellor is correct, Mr. Speaker, that these state grants have not been noticed on the ground. It is therefore important that the government takes responsibility for following up on how the state grants are used, how they benefit the staff and the patients, and how they change everyday life and the conditions in daily care. That is where we have a responsibility. We are finally doing that work now. We are following up on the initiatives.
I return to the initiative on maternity care. During the previous parliamentary term, the government allocated 5.5 billion. Two of those billions could not be traced at all. Taken together, it could not be seen that maternity care in Sweden had received a net increase. It is a failure.
When we tasked Vård- och omsorgsanalys with evaluating these investments and returning with recommendations to the government so that we could provide more accurate support to the regions, they were very clear that we must start from a needs analysis and be clearer about what the funds are to be used for in order to actually achieve an effect. That is why we also distribute funds in a new way with clearer requirements and expectations for the regions so that they achieve an effect. Otherwise, we only create further deficits in healthcare and poorer capacity in the future. That is the worst thing we can do for Swedish healthcare.
Rose-Marie Carlsson (S)
Mr. Speaker! I have described a part of the reality that many who work in healthcare recognize, namely the everyday life of healthcare. It is about staff who every day try to piece together a system that no longer fits together. I meet many who work in healthcare and who tell me the same thing. They run faster, do more, but feel that they are not enough.
Now we see what happens when state grants are eroded while other reforms are prioritized. There was talk here about state grants and that nothing more can be done from the government's side. But in the overall budget, the largest single item is state grants to municipalities and regions. One can therefore do significantly more to increase stability and clarify the rules of the game for the regions.
We see billion-dollar deficits, austerity measures, and a healthcare system pushed to the breaking point. In my own region, it is very clear. Healthcare has a deficit of just over 2 billion. That cannot be saved. Then we politicians must talk about which activities are to be removed. It does not help to cut back on the fruit basket or other small things that have been worked on for many years. It is completely different measures that are needed.
At the same time as we talk about investments in maternity care and women's healthcare, women's healthcare is to save 146 million. How is the person working out in the operations supposed to understand the talk about investments if they simultaneously have to run faster, are told that the money is not there, and do not notice any investments? We must create an understanding of how this is supposed to add up if the staff are really to engage. It becomes confusing to talk about pluses and minuses and about investments. The Minister talks about large investments, but how will the staff notice them? My question remains. When will we see a stable and long-term financing – if we do not change government, of course?
Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Just as the interpellor mentioned, the largest budget item is investments in municipalities and regions. There lies an enormous general government grant.
The targeted initiatives we are making in healthcare aim to support the regions in improving their work so that it truly benefits the operations. The initiatives must be noticeable on the floor for healthcare staff and patients. That is why we provide targeted support together with knowledge support, operationally close support, and leadership from Socialstyrelsen. It is very important that that work is allowed to continue so that we can continue to see the positive effects of the change work that is also taking place in the regions, where in certain operations they have succeeded incredibly well in improving processes and achieving better flows. It is incredibly important that that work is allowed to continue.
Mr. Speaker! It becomes a bit confusing when this partially becomes a regional political debate and not a healthcare debate. I almost perceive it as the interpellator advocating that the government should step in and cover for individual regions that do not manage their finances. In that case, we would need to have a completely different healthcare system. In total, the regions had a surplus of 8 billion during the last year. It is therefore not possible to speak of the regions collectively being underfunded or that the state grants are too small. If the interpellator and the interpellator's party want a system where the government steps in and covers based on how the capacity looks in the regions, that is another process that needs to come first.
But I want to thank everyone who sacrifices a sunny April evening to discuss healthcare – it is always appreciated.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.