Response to interpellations 2024/25:58, 67, 76 and 83 on the situation in healthcare

Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Eva Lindh, Mikael Dahlqvist, Yasmine Bladelius and Sofia Amloh have asked me what I intend to do to handle the difficult situation in healthcare.

Eva Lindh has also asked me what my position is regarding the fact that staff within healthcare in Östergötland are now being laid off, despite the fact that the Prime Minister promised us in the spring that no one would have to be laid off.

Mikael Dahlqvist has also asked me what my position is regarding the fact that staff within healthcare in Värmland are now being laid off, despite the Prime Minister promising last spring that no one would have to be laid off.

Yasmine Bladelius has also asked me what my position is on the fact that staff within healthcare are now being laid off, despite the Prime Minister promising last spring that no one would have to be laid off.

Sofia Amloh has also asked me what my position is on the fact that staff within healthcare in Sörmland are now being laid off, despite the Prime Minister promising last spring that no one would have to be laid off.

Initially, Madam Speaker, I would like to emphasize that waiting times and healthcare queues need to be shortened, accessibility to care improved, and the supply of competence strengthened.

The state cannot fully compensate for the regional sector's deficit. It is the healthcare heads, with directly elected politicians at the municipal and regional levels with taxing rights, who are responsible for providing good and equal health and medical care. Furthermore, municipalities and regions have great freedom to choose how an activity shall be conducted within the framework of local self-government.

Despite this, the Government is implementing a number of different measures to strengthen the regions' conditions to provide good and patient-safe care for the entire population. This includes, among other things, additional supplements of funds to the regions within the framework of partly a sector grant amounting to 3 billion SEK, which was reinforced in connection with the healthcare reform budget for 2024 with an additional 6 billion SEK, and partly five different agreements between the State and SKR, all concerning different parts of health and medical care, totaling just under 9 billion SEK.

In the agreements, several measures are mentioned that aim to increase accessibility and reduce waiting times. It has been important for the government to provide information on funds to the regions as early as possible.

Inflation in combination with the regions' pension agreements, which entail high pension costs, has hit the regions' finances hard. Already in 2025, the regions' pension costs are expected to decrease by around 25 billion kronor, according to SKR. Even though the inflationary pressure has eased and the economic situation has improved, it is expected to take some more time before the economic situation in the regions has fully recovered.

The magnitude of the sector contribution of 6 billion kronor that was decided before the summer corresponds to the personnel costs for approximately 7,000 nurses. The government's explicit expectation is that the regions use the money to avoid general layoffs of healthcare personnel. To strengthen the regions' conditions to provide good care, the government proposes continued support to the regions during 2025. The government therefore proposes in the budget bill for 2025 that 2 billion kronor be allocated for 2025 in a sector contribution to health and medical care.

In addition to this, the government also proposes further investments. Among other things, the initiative for increased healthcare capacity is strengthened by 1 billion SEK. Additionally, the government also proposes further funds during 2025 for national healthcare coordination and funding for an equitable implementation of precision health. Together with previously announced funds, the supplements that the government proposes for healthcare during 2025, within my area of responsibility, amount to 18 billion SEK.

In May 2024, the government gave an investigator a mandate to analyze and propose a new and strengthened healthcare guarantee with significantly shorter time limits than today (dir. 2024:50). The purpose of the mandate is for healthcare to better meet the requirements for accessible and equitable care. The new healthcare guarantee within specialized care shall be based on the patient's needs. Patients shall also be given the opportunity, earlier than today, to receive care from a healthcare provider in a region other than their own region, without extra cost for the patient. The investigator shall also submit proposals for state one-off interventions aimed at increasing the conditions for an individual region or all regions to shorten waiting times.

Simultaneously, further measures are being taken to support an efficiency improvement in healthcare and to ensure that patient-oriented activities are prioritized. The Government has announced that an efficiency delegation shall be established, which will provide the regions with support for efficiency within healthcare. Several steps are also being taken for increased state governance.

Finally, I want to emphasize that the staff is the healthcare system's most important resource and the foundation upon which healthcare rests. The Government has therefore given the National Board of Health and Welfare a mandate to develop proposals for a national plan to improve the healthcare system's competence supply (S2023/00256). The national plan shall, among other things, show which measures are needed, both for existing and for new healthcare staff, to improve the competence supply.

With that, I would like to thank Eva Lindh, Mikael Dahlqvist, Yasmine Bladelius and Sofia Amloh for the questions and I look forward to the debate.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Eva Lindh (S)

Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer and the opportunity to discuss and debate these incredibly important issues.

We have a healthcare crisis in Sweden. It is clear here in Östergötland. The negotiations regarding layoffs in Region Östergötland have concluded, and this means that during 2025, 900 fewer people will work in healthcare in Östergötland. Of these 900, 235 will be laid off, but it will therefore be 900 fewer employees in healthcare next year. The consequences of this are and will be great, with worsened working conditions, worsened quality of care, and longer queues for care.

I have met many who work in healthcare in Östergötland. They are desperate. Colleagues quit, are laid off, or are redeployed. The pressure is now unreasonable, say many I have spoken with. They are worried and go home from work with a sense of helplessness. This risks patient safety. Everyone has chosen to work in healthcare to make a difference – if possible to cure, often to alleviate, and always to comfort.

Over 500, almost 600, people have voluntarily chosen to leave Region Östergötland - or voluntarily; many have quit because they have seen how the situation will become. This is therefore staff who will not be replaced, staff and competence that will not be available within healthcare. This is naturally serious.

In the midst of this healthcare crisis, the SD-led government has decided to reduce resources to healthcare.

In the spring, Kristersson promised to present a budget that meant no one would have to be laid off. I believe that raised a lot of hopes that resources would still come to healthcare so that the situation we are now facing in several regions – all regions are running with deficits, so this is big for everyone – perhaps would not become a reality. We see the result now: thousands fewer employees in healthcare.

Madam Speaker! Politics is about will, but politics is also about prioritizing. There is no lack of money. The SD-led government's budget is unusually large. There was an opportunity to do it in a different way, which we Social Democrats have shown the way for. But that was not done. One chose to invest the largest part in tax cuts for wealthy individuals - for people who already have - and neglect the healthcare crisis in Sweden. This crisis is judged to be the worst since the 90s crisis.

It is against this background that I have posed two questions to the Minister. I asked what the Minister intends to do to handle the difficult situation and what the Minister's position is regarding the promise that the Prime Minister gave that no staff would be laid off.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mikael Dahlqvist (S)

Madam Speaker! I thank Acko Ankarberg Johansson for the answer to the interpellation.

This is, as has been said, an immensely important issue to debate, and I know that the Minister is passionate about healthcare issues and has a great commitment. Kudos to that!

I note, however, that the healthcare crisis is ongoing throughout the entire country. Many regions are raising taxes for next year, including my home county of Värmland, where they plan to raise it by 60 öre in order to partially compensate for the cost increases. Thousands of welfare workers are being laid off, even though they are actually needed more than ever in healthcare and other areas within the welfare sector. Naturally, this will have negative effects on the quality of care, but above all on accessibility.

When I look a bit more at my home county, I see that Region Värmland went into deficit in 2023 by almost 1 billion kronor - 933 million - which are large sums for a small county. In the forecast for this year, the deficit is estimated to land at 465 million kronor, that is to say almost half a billion. Then you should know that many measures have been taken with good effect. Unfortunately, it does not end there, Madam Speaker. It ends with 450-500 employees within healthcare in Värmland going to quit. They are being put on a starvation diet.

This is a concrete example of what the SD government's budget proposal for next year does regarding the so-called sector grant. In Värmland, this means minus 200 million kronor per year, which is quite a lot of money.

The economic report that Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner, SKR, recently published implies a grim reading. All regions in Sweden are running a deficit this year. The result for this year will be the weakest during the entire 20s. In total, the deficits are estimated to land at 12 billion. "Healthcare crisis" is therefore not a word that is too strong; it might be an all-too-weak word we use.

In conclusion, Madam Speaker: I was on a visit to Arvika last week at Arvika Hospital, which is one of three hospitals in Värmland. Arvika Hospital is in a state of crisis. When one meets committed healthcare staff, one notices that they have a burning interest in healthcare and for their patients. But one is also met with enormous frustration, worry, and anxiety regarding both who can stay and how they will manage to keep up. Already today, they have problems with accessibility.

The questions that were asked to the Minister for Health and Care remain, Madam Speaker. They concerned, in part, the Prime Minister's clear promise on TV that no one would have to be laid off. It would be interesting to receive the Minister's comment on that, since thousands of layoffs are now occurring. Above all, I wonder what the Minister thinks about accessibility, which I know is an important issue for the government. How is it possible to reduce the healthcare queues when one cannot even manage the daily operations?

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Yasmine Bladelius (S)

Madam Speaker! The healthcare crisis continues to strike with great force across the country. Hiring freezes, notices of intent to strike, and layoffs are now occurring on a conveyor belt in a healthcare system already in severe crisis. In my home region of Skåne, the situation within health and medical care is extremely serious with large deficits at the various hospitals.

Since last summer, strict vacancy testing has been applied in my region, which means that a specific decision must be made at every new recruitment to healthcare. Every time there is a need to fill a position within health and medical care, the management must make a decision on the matter. The Regional Council has also recently decided that the employment volume at the Skåne hospitals shall be reduced.

At Skåne University Hospital, SUS, it concerns 640 positions that are to be removed. At Helsingborg Hospital, 50 nursing assistants are to be removed. It is a hospital that already today has the highest levels of strain due to overcrowding, which in many ways is due to having too few staff. In total, it is expected that the number of employees in the Skåne healthcare system will decrease by 1,000 people this year alone. This is naturally extremely serious in a healthcare system that is already in a severe crisis.

Madam Speaker! I am fairly certain that many of us wish that we had not had to have a debate directed against the Minister for Health and Social Affairs and the government again today. Without lying, I can say that we are very many who wished that the promise the Prime Minister gave on television a few months ago would be kept. He said then that it is the government and its coalition partners who will ensure that no one is laid off in Swedish healthcare.

Now it turns out that the promise was only empty words. The result is thousands fewer employees in Swedish healthcare. The fact is that all over Sweden, healthcare is currently facing enormous austerity measures. All over Sweden, regional politicians and healthcare staff are facing the fact that they will need to cut back even further on staff and need to risk patient safety because, Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister did not keep his promise.

It is not this government that will ensure that no one is laid off in Swedish healthcare, on the contrary. This government lowers taxes for people like me and the government representative rather than investing the funds required so that no healthcare personnel are laid off in Swedish healthcare.

Madam Speaker! What the Minister says is true: The Government does not govern the operations and organization of health and medical care. We have regional self-government in Sweden. But the state can and should provide funds to curb a national healthcare crisis. Instead, the Government is reducing the state grants by 2.3 billion kronor. Instead, the Government is lowering the sector grant by 7 billion kronor.

My question to the Minister is therefore: Does the Minister for Health and Social Affairs consider that the Prime Minister in her government has kept his promise that no one shall be laid off in the Swedish health and social care system?

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Sofia Amloh (S)

Madam Speaker! The healthcare crisis continues to hit hard across the country. Warnings and layoffs are occurring continuously. In the government's budgets for 2023, 2024, and now 2025, they have provided far less money than healthcare needs. This has major consequences for patients who do not receive the care they need in time and for staff who get worse working conditions and fewer colleagues. We are halfway through the parliamentary term. Let me describe what the first period has looked like.

My own region, Sörmland, was the first to issue a mass warning to 700 people. Sörmland had a savings account, RUR, of nearly 1 billion thanks to the Social Democratic government and the Social Democratic regional government that took us through the previous crisis during the pandemic. This billion, which had been saved for extraordinary situations, had been exhausted shortly after the summer of 2022.

Last year, the situation in Sörmland was so serious that one had to borrow money to be able to pay wages to employees in December. Now, one is sitting and paying interest on this loan. Region Sörmland's deficit is 1 billion kronor. That is no small amount of money for this region. It is nothing that will be solved tomorrow. These are consequences that will be lasting for a long time.

What has also happened during the first half of the parliamentary term is that the Moderate chairman of the regional council in Sörmland has pleaded to his own party representatives in the government, such as the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister, and pointed out this crisis, which exists in Sörmland and around the country. The Christian Democratic regional council has done the same to State Secretary Ankarberg Johansson. But that it has not resulted in any major outcomes is completely obvious.

It is now clear that this will result in 267 fewer services in healthcare in Sörmland during the next year. Despite this reduction in services, further savings will be required to achieve a balanced budget. In total, the workforce is to be reduced by 700 full-time employees.

The response from the Minister makes me doubt that she has any deep understanding of how bad it is in this crisis. The SD government has thrown Sweden into a deep healthcare crisis where the regions are receiving too few resources.

Then the Swedish Prime Minister sits down in the TV sofa and promises the Swedish people that no one will have to be laid off. Immediately after that promise is made, the Moderate regional council in Sörmland states that they will not take any other measures, that the positions remain, that they will roll on, and that this will not play any major role. This made me lose hope in the promise that had been made. Why do you promise things that you cannot keep?

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Carita Boulwén (SD)

Madam Speaker! I want to begin by emphasizing that a well-functioning healthcare system is one of the most important cornerstones of a welfare society. It is crucial that every individual, regardless of where in the country they live, has access to the care they need in a timely manner and with high quality. It is not just about saving lives, but about creating security and long-term health for the entire population.

It is also required that the healthcare staff, who form the heart of the care, are provided with a good working environment and professional development. They must have the right tools, resources, and support to be able to perform their work in a sustainable way. Without a well-being and competent staff, we will not be able to meet the future's healthcare needs. Therefore, investments in the staff's working conditions are absolutely crucial.

Madam Speaker! It is both surprising and stomach-turning to hear the Social Democrats' criticism regarding the situation in healthcare. The Social Democrats claim that the crisis we see today is created by SD and the government. It is a falsehood that is repeated time and again in the hope that people will start to believe it.

Let us be honest, Madam Speaker! The healthcare crisis is not new. It emerged during the Social Democrats' many years in power. It was during their time that the healthcare queues exploded and the problems with skill supply, staff shortages, and an increasingly pressured work environment grew. It is, therefore, largely the previous government's failure that has led to the situation we see today.

In addition to the already existing queues, we are now also facing the effects of the recession and the high inflation. Inflation has driven up the pension costs for the regions, which has created further strain on an already stretched budget. Despite this, we in the Tidö parties have taken responsibility and acted to create a long-term sustainable healthcare system. We are working to ensure that healthcare has the resources it needs but also that the healthcare staff's working environment is improved, something that the Social Democrats neglected during their years in power.

Madam Speaker! As Minister Acko Ankarberg Johansson has clearly emphasized, it is however the regions and municipalities as healthcare providers that have the responsibility to provide good and equal care. The State has an overall responsibility to set frameworks and contribute with funding. But the regions must also take responsibility for prioritizing and streamlining their resources. It is also their task to be careful with the taxpayers' money and primarily focus on the core activities in healthcare. Extensive work is currently underway to adapt the costs to the long-term conditions. Among other things, staffing is being reviewed and the use of hired personnel is being reduced.

The Social Democrats' members, however, come with some somewhat misleading claims and figures about staff to be laid off in various regions and try to blame this on the government and the Sweden Democrats. My party colleagues from the respective regions will likely go into more detail on this. When the Social Democrats try to lay the blame for layoffs and cuts on the government and SD, they conveniently forget that it is their mismanagement that has created much of this chaos during all their years in power.

I also want to be clear that it was the Moderaterna, Sverigedemokraterna, KD and Vänstern who ensured that the regions received funds during the pandemic. This happened against the Socialdemokraternas will.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Roger Hedlund (SD)

Madam Speaker! Today in the chamber, we are debating and discussing the situation in healthcare. We have four interpellants who have posed a question to the Minister regarding this.

I would like to start by saying that it is important in politics to look at activities long-term and not act here and now. It is the prerequisite for being able to handle more difficult setbacks in future economic situations. That is something one needs to carry with oneself as a politician when acting in the regions we are now talking about, which are so heavily burdened.

It is also important with preventive work that can counteract future costs. That one works preventively is something that the Socialdemokraterans gladly take pride in. But in practice, when the proposals arrive, we see that one is actually not interested in pursuing that policy. One is far too naive regarding the societal development that one does not see coming.

When it comes to the management of the resources we have out in the regions and the management of the economy that we are tasked by the taxpayers to administer, we see many examples of how people choose to act across the country, Madam Speaker. Let me take an example from my own region, Gävleborg. There, they came up with the brilliant idea that they should purchase and own wind turbines. Owning and operating wind turbines does not quite fall within the competence that we have out in the regions.

It also shows the result of the use of the two wind turbines that the Social Democrats purchased in Gävleborg. The result in the end is that one wins a prize from the Taxpayers' Association for the year's worst waste. In the end, it turned out that the project with the two wind turbines, after they were sold a year ago, gave a negative result of 100 million kronor.

It is of course understandable that one cannot manage the tax funds one has and the activities one is tasked to conduct, which one has been entrusted by the voters to do, when one handles this situation in this way. Then one stands here in the rostrum of the Riksdag and wants more money for an activity that one has not managed to conduct in a purposeful manner.

Madam Speaker! The situation in healthcare in Sweden today is not particularly pleasant. We can probably all admit that. But demanding more money from the state is actually a way of trying to push away the responsibility one has oneself. In the end, it can be regulated, for example, through the taxing rights we have.

If one raises the tax in one's own region, the voters understand who is responsible for the economic difficulties we have. Instead, one chooses to shift it onto the state and the government and says: The appropriations are too low for us to be able to handle the situation we have in healthcare today. Then it sounds a bit better.

Madam Speaker! It is said then: It is the SD government that has not provided enough money. That is why we have such poor resources in healthcare today. No, that is not the case. The situation is difficult for many reasons. One of those reasons is how the Social Democrats choose to conduct their healthcare operations out in the regions.

(Applause)

In this speech, Runar Filper (SD) agreed.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Göran Hargestam (SD)

Madam Speaker! I intend to deliberate on the questions posed by Eva Lindh in the interpellation regarding the situation in healthcare.

That the political majority Östgötasamverkan together with the Sverigedemokraterna in Region Östergötland during 2024 was forced into decisions to issue notices to staff has its background in the very difficult economic situation inherited from the previous Social Democratic government through Koalition för Östergötland.

The result for 2023 for Region Östergötland was a deficit of just over 1.7 billion. This deficit was thus established before any warnings had been issued. The deficit was a fact despite the new government immediately initiating a large number of austerity measures, efficiencies, and hiring freezes of administrative staff. These measures are still ongoing.

As an example, it can be mentioned that one could save several million kronor annually by rewriting an unfavorable agreement with the electricity supplier, which had been signed by the previous board, from so-called green electricity to also include nuclear power electricity.

They also reduced the grants to the political parties, which meant reduced costs for the political organization. A few more examples of measures that were taken are: significantly reduced number of hired staff, reduced number of health communicators, and so on.

The cause of the enormous deficit can be attributed to the previous government's inability to manage the taxpayers' money and conduct a balanced and responsible economic policy. The period 2014-2022 was permeated by political decisions that did not have any bearing on an economy in balance. The policy pursued was instead characterized by ideologically colored fundamentals as the basis for decisions, which, after eight years of shaky governance, resulted in a completely wrecked economy.

During the pandemic years, the previous government chose to build cost-driving activities for parts of the extra state grants awarded to the regions. At the same time, the nurses fled their employment. To manage that loss of competence, a large number of administrative staff and nursing assistants were hired.

Despite the fact that all warning bells should have been ringing at that time, the choice was made in that situation to increase the number of hired staff. In 2023, we saw the cumulative effect: an economy in free fall. With a sense of tact, the new government has had to navigate this tangled and impenetrable terrain and has now succeeded in slowing the economic bleeding.

When the Social Democrats took over the government in Region Östergötland in 2014, there was a set table with a very strong economy and with a capital in a class of its own. For several years up until 2014, the region had produced a surplus, which reversed with the change of power.

As early as 2017, one had succeeded in turning an economy in balance into one that began to report large deficits. From having been one of the country's best-managed regions, it went to, in just a few years, underperform to such an extent that it ended up among the regions that performed the worst.

The Social Democrats have a great responsibility for the failing economy that one is forced to manage today in Östergötland. The current government takes the responsibility that can be expected, and a number of strong measures have now been taken to clean up after an eight-year Social Democratic failure.

Despite the difficult situation, which has involved many difficult and uncomfortable decisions, the development has now been successfully turned around, and the future finally looks bright for Region Östergötland.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mattias Eriksson Falk (SD)

Madam Speaker and Minister! We have an important interpellation debate now. It concerns Swedish healthcare and the various parts that affect it and are affected by it, positively and negatively, in the short term and the long term. The debate on Swedish healthcare cannot simply be simplified to only being about state resources for it, because it is about so much more that affects it.

I would like to begin by making a brief historical review of Swedish healthcare. During the pandemic, state grants were temporarily increased to cover costs specifically linked to the pandemic, which regions such as Östergötland then used to increase the region's staffing levels with temporary state grants.

Who then governed Region Östergötland during that period? Well, the Social Democrats. One must ask what it means for staff and operations when the number of employees is increased in the long term with temporary state grants.

During 2021 and 2022, we saw how inflation increased, which affected the cost development on a general level. But above all, we saw how costs for electricity and fuel surged significantly. It was a consequence of fully conscious political decisions signed by the Socialdemokraterna through the decommissioning of nuclear power and increased reduction obligation. It drove up prices in society, and it drove up prices for the public sector.

It has been a difficult situation in the regions as a consequence of inflation and deliberately negative political decisions that the Social Democrats in government have made. The Sweden Democrats and the government have together in the state budgets injected extra funds to the regions in general support but also in targeted state grants.

During 2024, we have allocated funds to the regions in two steps. In the ordinary budget, we allocated 3 billion in an expanded general support and 3 billion in a targeted sector support directly to health and medical care. In the year-end budget, we allocated an additional 6 billion to health and medical care in addition to already existing support.

We also see that we have a difficult situation in the regions linked to pension costs, which constitute a large part of the deficits. But according to the assessment, they will also decrease significantly during 2025. The economic situation is assessed to look considerably better next year and in 2026, which will create better economic space.

Through the support we have provided, the regions have also been given good opportunities to prioritize themselves in order to avoid, for example, layoffs. But like Region Östergötland, the regions must themselves assess their needs in their operations and make priorities accordingly.

In Region Gävleborg, for example, they have not laid off healthcare personnel. There, they have made other changes, such as reducing administration, terminating external lease agreements to instead utilize existing premises that stand empty, and significantly reducing hired-in personnel. Many have now instead been employed directly via the region, which is pleasing. I might add that Region Gävleborg is governed by Sverigedemokraterna.

In the Social Democrat-led Värmland, they cut 120 positions among the healthcare staff while, without hesitation, purchasing art for 40 million, a typical prioritization from a Social Democracy that has completely lost its footing in reality.

I want to conclude this post by quoting the Social Democratic municipal councilor Helen Nilsson in Vimmerby, who, regarding the municipality's poor finances, answered the journalist's question on whether they should have done something differently to prevent it from becoming so: "We should have reviewed this much earlier. I believe it is such that one lives on hope and thinks that it will work out anyway, but it doesn't work out anyway if you don't do anything."

(Applause)

In this speech, Runar Filper (SD) agreed.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Adrian Magnusson (S)

Madam Speaker! When it comes to healthcare policy, the focus is often on the healthcare staff and the elderly, who constitute the large patient group. It is not strange, partly because of this, and partly because they are quite grateful groups to save on and make economic cuts on.

The staff within health and care usually keep pushing on. They rarely complain but instead do their duty. The elderly are somewhat the same. They grit their teeth and keep pushing on. They rarely complain but think that this is how it has to be when they, for example, are sent around between different healthcare institutions throughout Skåne. Healthcare policy is, however, more than that and affects so many more than the staff and the elderly, even though these are important groups who are, of course, hit hard by the government's healthcare policy.

The healthcare issue is also the most important issue for young people. Cuts can also affect them, and there are actually very concrete examples of that. At the hospital in Ystad, where I come from, they are now phasing out speech therapy for children and young people to save money. In the right-led Region Skåne, the most vulnerable children are therefore affected by the cuts, in addition to the staff at the speech therapy clinic who are, of course, also affected.

In Ystad, there are 100 children waiting for investigation, children who already have quite low self-confidence due to speech and writing difficulties and who already now run a fairly large risk of falling behind in school. This also means that the risk that these children and young people will end up drifting is quite large.

With this decision, parents and children from southeastern Skåne will be forced to travel across the whole of Skåne, which makes this a rather obvious class issue. Who can afford to take a whole day off to take their children to speech therapy in Helsingborg or Malmö? Ystads Allehanda has today an article about parents who are now forced to take whole days off just so their daughter can receive support from a speech therapist.

The Prime Minister promised that no one would be laid off in healthcare. I believe many understand that the Prime Minister's words and promises carry quite little weight. The Prime Minister spoke in his government statement about a brightening for Sweden, but I believe that the children with reading, speech, and writing difficulties in southeastern Skåne have difficulty perceiving that brightening for Sweden.

Yesterday I was at another event where I heard the Minister for Children's Rights praise the Convention on the Rights of the Child and talk about it being Swedish law. The best interests of the child in this case and in healthcare policy in general can indeed be reasoned about.

The government's and the Sweden Democrats', or the collective bourgeoisie's, healthcare policy in combination with the healthcare policy of the right-led regions across Sweden hits hard against the staff, against the elderly, and in Ystad even against the children and young people who have it the hardest in society. There is something particularly cynical about this.

It is also a reminder for all of us who live out in the countryside that the politics being conducted from Stockholm by the Swedish right, down to Malmö and trickling out to other regions, hits the healthcare staff and all age groups, in this case not least children and young people with reading, speaking, and writing difficulties.

There is something particularly cynical about this.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Sara Gille (SD)

Madam Speaker! I think it is remarkable that the four interpellants do not seem to understand that we do not have a state healthcare system in Sweden, but rather we have regions that have long had difficulties and find themselves in a strained economic situation all over the country. The interpellants also totally ignore that the majority of Sweden's regions are governed by the Social Democrats. In other words, it is actually their own party that is responsible for the failure.

We can, for example, look at the region where I live, namely Västerbotten. It is a region that, like most other regions, is governed by the Social Democrats. It is a prime example of your fiasco-governance where you are responsible for the region's poor economic management.

It is a region where not long ago a deficit of up to 1 billion kronor was forecasted. Now, 250 million kronor are to be saved on personnel costs, which means that approximately 300 services will disappear. At the same time, poor pensioners and the economically vulnerable, the weakest in society, are to pay for the deficit through increased general patient fees, while the region chooses to prioritize something other than healthcare.

The Social Democrats in Västerbotten have, in fact, clearly shown over the years that despite the deficit, it is not healthcare that they prioritize. Instead, it is Norrlandsoperan, LGBTQ+ certification, gender equality integration, gender budgeting, and so on that are much more important.

The population living furthest from the nearest emergency room has been forced to drive for five hours while the emergency room in Lycksele has been closed. After several years, the Social Democrats finally chose to follow the Sweden Democrats' proposal in the region and let the emergency room in Lycksele open again, something that has significantly shortened the distance to the emergency room and which can both save lives and calm the anxiety of expectant parents.

One has also chosen to fund hijabs, a symbol of women's oppression, for healthcare staff, all while healthcare is already on its knees. The Social Democrats have time and again shown that they are Islamist-huggers who do not safeguard women's right to self-determination. This is yet another clear such example.

The Social Democrats' latest madness in the region is a baby rave. You heard that right – a baby rave. It was Norrlandsoperan, which is funded by Region Västerbotten, that celebrated 50 years by organizing a baby rave. This is what they spend the money on instead of on healthcare.

This is failed political governance that can be seen all around the country's regions where the Social Democrats rule or are involved in influencing the governance. Therefore, Madam Speaker, the Social Democrats should ask the questions to themselves instead.

That these four members of Parliament are standing here and criticizing the current government for their own party's failures is simply embarrassing. I think the Social Democrats should try to exert influence within their own party and do right in the regions instead of pretending that it is not their fault that the healthcare in the regions looks the way it does today.

Because that is exactly what it is. It is actually the Social Democrats' fault.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Sanna Backeskog (S)

Madam Speaker! Ever since the Tidö parties took power, at the same time as the Sverigedemokraterna, Moderaterna, and Kristdemokraterna took power in Region Gävleborg, the health and medical care has incurred large deficits in my county, Gävleborg. This year, the policy has become most visible and the consequences for the patients in Gävleborg have been most severe. Those hardest hit are women, children, and persons with mental ill-health.

Madam Speaker! At Hudiksvall Hospital, the management has closed down an entire care department and 25 percent of the care beds in psychiatry. There has been talk of closing down all psychiatry in Hudiksvall and that all the county's patients should be referred to Gävle, which is the opposite of good and local care.

The consequences are also noticeable in the mammography in Bollnäs and Hudiksvall. In Hudiksvall, there are very long waiting times and in Bollnäs patients are referred to Gävle, which can have the consequence that people hesitate to have the life-saving mammography examination performed.

During the spring and summer, the pediatric care at Hudiksvall Hospital was forced to close. The children and parents had to travel a long way to Gävle Hospital. It is not reasonable.

Familjeläkarjouren in Sandviken cannot manage to stay open, and Baldersnäs hälsocentral in Bollnäs is practically closed except for some sampling.

Last summer, an alarm came from women's healthcare itself in Hudiksvall that patient safety was threatened.

Madam Speaker! Mammography, children's healthcare, maternity care, psychiatry – cuts in women's and children's healthcare and cuts regarding people with mental ill-health or psychiatric diagnoses are thus the result of the healthcare that occurs when the Tidö parties govern nationally and the Sverigedemokraterna, Moderaterna and Kristdemokraterna regionally.

Maternity care is also hit hard by the government's cuts to welfare. I would say it is a national crisis when it comes to women's healthcare. Unfortunately, women have always had to fight for maternity care and women's health to be priority areas where resources are directed and where research is conducted.

For a while, things looked really bright at home in my county. Real initiatives from the government at the time enabled skills development and development work all over the country. Hudiksvall's BB became the best in the country at avoiding shortages through its work with the Finnish grip.

Now the development is once again heading in the wrong direction. Ivo has conducted reviews all over the country, including in my county. Several deficiencies are pointed out regarding leadership, especially in acute situations. It is also pointed out that women who suffer from pelvic floor defects are not examined in accordance with the existing guidelines. Deficiencies are also pointed out regarding documentation of medications and information to patients before discharge. Lack of competence, high staff turnover, and locum doctors who do not follow the clinic's routines are highlighted by staff as problems at BB.

The editorialist Jenny Wennberg describes it excellently in Arbetarbladet. "Do women dare to give birth at Gävle BB?" is the headline. "How can it be like this?" she asks. "Women are obviously not prioritized within Swedish healthcare."

I mean that this is a major failure by the Tidö parties in the government and the Sweden Democrats, the Moderates and the Christian Democrats in Region Gävleborg.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Runar Filper (SD)

Madam Speaker and Minister! Social Democrats all over the country are now attacking the government and SD regarding the healthcare crisis. But how does it look in the social democratic-led regions out in the country, where they themselves have the responsibility to streamline the operations? That is the question.

The regions must make decisions that are as wise as possible. The Government and SD continue to further strengthen already ongoing multi-billion investments and take their share of the responsibility for healthcare in the country. It is a team game where the regions also have responsibility for their own decisions.

The special support to the regions has been given with the aim of reducing the risk of resignations among healthcare staff, which the regions' budgets should also do. But how do the Social Democratic-led regions prioritize?

We can look at Region Värmland. Despite an approaching crisis unlike any we have seen since the beginning of the 90s, the government seems incapable of making a sound prioritization of the region's money and activities. Drastic cuts are being made in healthcare instead of starting by looking at how much could be saved through cuts in other, not entirely necessary, areas.

Healthcare is about life and death, unlike much else that the region is involved in. Of course, it is nice to talk about values, have courses in Agenda 2030, hire values developers and equality strategists, or market and spread as a brand how good and fine one is as a region. However, we do not see what this provides for concrete benefit for the patients who are waiting in endless operation queues, who cannot reach their health center, or who are waiting for help within psychiatry.

The public bureaucracy has swollen into an amorphous colossus of make-believe work in sustainability and values. We have received an entire social class of people employed in public activities whose entire raison d'être lies in turning papers filled with ideological nonsense.

Madam Speaker! These vague trends spreading within publicly funded operations must be heavily deprioritized to provide space and finances for realistic work that provides real benefit for the region's citizens. Both the state and the regions impose burdensome requirements for detailed documentation that the staff must collect and report in various programs and patient records. Time studies show that Swedish doctors and nurses have patient contact during only one-third of their shifts.

We want to change this. We do not believe that more bureaucracy and values-based work solves the problems, but instead, we want to redistribute the resources directly to healthcare.

This winter, the regional leadership in Värmland, which consists of the Social Democrats, the Centre Party, and the Left Party, chose to target the core activities instead of tackling all the nonsense bureaucracy and unnecessary administration. Many became very upset when the regional government once again targeted the region's most important core missions when they wanted to shut down the emergency line at Arvika Hospital. Exactly the same thing happened last autumn, a year ago, when the regional government wanted to shut down the emergency centers in Kristinehamn and Säffle, which are the third and fifth largest municipalities in Värmland. But once again, they had to give in to large-scale public protests.

In a situation with a healthcare crisis and galloping cost increases in all areas, it is neither the right time nor the right place to spend 40 million on artistic design for the new central hospitals for the purchase of new art.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Katja Nyberg (SD)

Madam Speaker! Sofia Amloh mentioned that 700 workforces shall be removed in Region Sörmland. That sounds like a very high figure, but when we look closer, it becomes clear.

In connection with the pandemic, between 2019 and 2022, extra resources were added to healthcare - resources that resulted in an increased number of services, namely 700. Today, the pandemic is over. The extra added resources are finished, and the healthcare need has decreased. It should then be quite natural for the region to return to its original state.

Sofia Amloh mentions that in a first concrete proposal, 267 positions will be eliminated in Region Sörmland. To add that this figure includes administrators and strategists, while 191 are healthcare personnel. Many of these positions are vacant, which in the end will mean that only 99 positions are to be removed.

What also needs to be taken into account is that too many administrative services affect healthcare negatively, partly because they consume the financial resources, and partly because they create extra work for the staff on the floor who have to report and document more and more.

Getting rid of administrative staff will, in the long run, create room to hire more healthcare staff.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mikael Eskilandersson (SD)

Madam Speaker! I read the submitted interpellation from Yasmine Bladelius with some surprise. I also listened to her speech here. Yasmine paints a picture of Region Skåne as a region in complete decay.

That opinion and that image probably remain from the time when the Socialdemokraterna ruled Region Skåne. As a person from Skåne, district chairperson for Skåne and former regional politician, I find it difficult, however, to understand the criticism against today's government.

It is extra regrettable that Yasmine Bladelius throws out direct factual errors. The fact is that Region Skåne has increased its staffing by thousands of people, specifically 1,194 people just in the last year. On August 31, 2024, 38,077 people were employed in Region Skåne, which was 1,194 more than a year earlier. Yasmine Bladelius makes it sound as if the number of employees has decreased.

The group that has increased the most is nurses. Region Skåne has increased the number by 468 and now has a total of over 9,000 nurses employed. Following that come nursing assistants, which only in the last year have increased by 244, and doctors, which increased by 144 in the last year.

Region Skåne has therefore significantly strengthened healthcare since Tidösamarbetet took over. With the right priorities, this has been possible even during a year of crisis.

Sure, some categories have decreased over the past year. Groups that have decreased are caretakers, those who work with gardening and kitchen, as well as administrators.

In the interpellation from Yasmine Bladelius, it is specifically mentioned that the number of nursing assistants at the hospital in Helsingborg shall be reduced by 50. However, it is directly dishonest not to also mention the background to this. The shortage of nurses meant that for a long period, more nursing assistants were hired. When the shortage of nurses decreased, nurses were hired instead, and then some of the nursing assistants became redundant. The staffing mix simply needed to consist of more nurses to function optimally. But that does not mean that nursing assistants will be laid off. The entire reduction shall instead occur through natural attrition. That is why the limitation has been included that, for every new recruitment, one must first see if it can be resolved within the framework of existing employments.

The most embarrassing of all is still Adrian Magnusson's post. He raises the problem of being eligible for investigation of reading and writing difficulties. I have had children in Skåne when the Socialdemokraterna ruled, who also stood in line for investigation of reading and writing difficulties. I remember that it took several years to get forward in the queue for dyslexia investigation. If the Socialdemokraterna say that it is particularly cynical and embarrassing that one targets this group, they should themselves really reflect on why they did it. The queues were significantly longer earlier.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, all engaged members! Even though we do not have state care, it is necessary that the Riksdag is also part of the discussion, follows the developments and makes the changes one deems necessary through democratic decisions.

The situation is not new for the regions. One had a tough situation during the pandemic, when one faced a virus that one did not know what it was. Still, one managed to find an order where, after a fairly short time, one could give patients the care they needed.

The pandemic ended, but already in the summer of 2022, before the election, inflation was up at over 8 percent. The regions had recently signed an agreement regarding pensions for their employees, and since there are many academics, the agreement becomes quite cost-driving. It is a good agreement, but it is linked to inflation. When it was over 8 percent in the summer, it meant that costs increased throughout 2023.

Our government took office. We have had the ambition to bring down inflation, and now we have succeeded. But we did not do this in a year, so in the summer of 2023 inflation was even somewhat higher, over 9 percent. The entire year of 2024, therefore, the cost for the regions was over 9 percent higher due to their own agreements. It was extremely heavy for the regions.

Now inflation is down again. This summer it was down at low levels, so next year the regions have 25 billion more to use because the costs for the pension agreement have fallen. That is really large sums of money.

How should one handle a temporary situation? Normally, the regions do not want temporary support - that is completely obvious. But this time, even SKR says in its economic report from this spring - somewhere on page 79, if Madam Speaker would like to read it herself - that for once there were reasons to have a temporary support because the inflation is temporary. It was not about how the economy otherwise looked or how the operations were, but it concerned a temporary cost that disappears the day inflation is down. SKR thus wrote themselves, perhaps for the only time, that it was reasonable to have a temporary support.

It was this, the so-called sector support, that we established. It has never existed before. I hope that we can phase it out, because I do not want effects on the regions that cause them to demand extra support; one should manage on the tax base one has. The order that has been decided by the Swedish Riksdag means that the regions, and in part also the municipalities, have responsibility for healthcare and finance it with the tax base they have. Then the development looks a bit different in the country, and therefore we have an income and cost equalization system in Sweden to achieve more equal conditions. That is how it should work.

Still, governments of all kinds choose to provide extra support to regions because they need it. This time, it was necessary to do this.

At the beginning of the year, we could see how many were on notice or risked being laid off - SKR still had no report on this. But when we investigated it ourselves together with the regions, we saw a risk that it would be necessary to resort to notices and layoffs. We calculated that this risked affecting 5,000 or perhaps 6,000 people. Therefore, the government decided on extra support. We increased the sector support, which we had set at 3 billion in the autumn, and topped it up with an additional 6 billion. This corresponded to 7,000 nursing services, that is, a higher figure than the one we feared.

We could therefore on good grounds state that our view is that we want to retain the healthcare staff. I can see that the regions have done their best. Four of the five regions are currently facing warnings and layoffs, but it is fewer than 1,000. We have thus enabled the regions to make wise decisions. I hope that they retain every single one of the healthcare staff.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Eva Lindh (S)

Madam Speaker! I want to start by saying that it is still good that the Sweden Democrats are now participating in the debate about healthcare, which is so important - the Sweden Democrats are responsible for how the situation looks today. I thought it would be interesting to hear what they have to say since Jimmie Åkesson said before the election that the Sweden Democrats would be the guarantor for healthcare in Sweden. Then comes the usual: an endless string of bad priorities that someone has made at some point.

I can raise a single priority in response to all the claims of poor priorities from the Sweden Democrats' side. It concerns the priority that exists in the budget that the SD-led government has adopted. Are you investing in healthcare? No. Are you investing in those who already have? Yes. It is an incredibly poor priority, which hits those who are weakest; it is they who pay.

I am actually both saddened and upset. I think it is embarrassing that there are parties, members here in the Riksdag, who can never do anything other than talk about how it is someone else's fault. Stand up for your politics! Take responsibility!

Then I shall recount something I have heard during my meetings back home in Östergötland: The situation now finally looks bright for Region Östergötland. I don't know, but I believe that quite few employees in healthcare, quite few patients and quite few residents in Östergötland think that sentence corresponds with reality.

I do not believe they agree that one has, with a sense of tact, addressed the situation that prevails in Region Östergötland today. I regret that image, because it gives less hope that this situation will be resolved in Region Östergötland and less hope that the situation will become different in Sweden. The only thing one does is shift the blame - that it is always someone else's fault - and not take responsibility for the situation we have in healthcare today.

What is happening now in Region Östergötland is that the amount of staff is being reduced by almost 7 percent. This means 900 fewer employees in healthcare next year. Will that healthcare become better? No.

Another part that the Sweden Democrats have spoken about here is that healthcare was not good previously. We Social Democrats were fully aware after the pandemic that large resources and efforts would be required, because there was a deferred healthcare need after the pandemic. We have taken responsibility for that in our budgets. We have added the resources that would be needed in healthcare.

Healthcare does not improve by neglecting it, by not taking responsibility for it, and by not providing the resources needed to ensure good healthcare for everyone.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mikael Dahlqvist (S)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister for Health and Social Affairs, for your second speech! But I want to start at this end, Madam Speaker, just as my colleague did. It is truly delightful and pleasant to see so many engaged Sweden Democrats in such an incredibly important debate. It nevertheless shows that our criticism is justified. This government is governed by the Sweden Democrats. I take this as a receipt that you feel attacked.

For us at the national level, it is difficult to address all the claims when it comes to regional occurrences. It is almost impossible, I was about to say. Yes, I also use regional figures, but I mostly use economic figures, i.e., what the forecasts look like and how many are said to be laid off.

Since I have no opportunity today to engage in polemics regarding whether one owns wind turbines or buys culture unnecessarily. I believe that belongs in a regional debate and is decided at that level.

From the Sweden Democrats, it is always the same. What kind of social development is it that you want? The regions have these areas of responsibility, apart from healthcare and public transport. Do you think equality between the sexes is completely unnecessary? Your posts suggest that. All initiatives on soft values, value-based ones, you think are nonsense! So that is how I interpret your posts.

And if you were to remove everything that the Sweden Democrats say is completely unnecessary, I think you should come back to me and prove that you are saving 12 billion at the national level on that. 12 billion is missing. You can stand there and smirk in the rostrum, but this is a fact. We are talking about perhaps hundreds of millions, so it doesn't help in any case. It is easy to mock if you just know what to come up with.

Madam Speaker! As I said earlier, I know that Acko Ankarberg Johansson is passionate about these issues and is committed, and the Sverigedemokraterna have these issues high on the agenda. Sometimes I wonder how the internal talk in the government goes. Who is it that is in control? I am convinced that there is an agenda among some of the other parties, and therefore the priorities have looked different.

The priorities we see today do not concern healthcare in the first instance, but rather they concern the fight against crime above all. It is about the priorities of the rule of law.

We have different starting points in this debate, and so be it. It is good that we have different opinions. But I still think this debate would benefit from us being honest with one another. And if I am not entirely wrong, the budget that the government has presented with the support of Sverigedemokraterna shows less money for health and medical care next year, approximately 2.5 billion. The Minister for Health and Social Affairs may correct me if I am wrong.

In conclusion, we saw as Social Democrats already in 2022 and 2023 that this crisis would come. Therefore, we have doubled the appropriations in every budget. I dare to assert that with a red budget, we would not have had a healthcare crisis and layoffs in Sweden today.

Then there are always adjustments to be made, for example when it comes to administrative staff and so on. I agree with that, because one must always be careful with the taxpayers' money. But if one thinks that one can save the current situation with simple measures such as removing a little art, one is way off track.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Yasmine Bladelius (S)

Madam Speaker! It is obvious that the Sweden Democrats are terrified of this debate. They are very well aware that they are just as responsible for the healthcare crisis that we have in Sweden today as the rest of the government. That is also why they have mobilized to be part of this debate. With all due respect, Madam Speaker, but in my opinion, the only thing worse than Sweden Democrat members constantly uttering untruths in this speaker's chair is that there are actually those who believe them. But back to the debate!

In Skåne, only just over every other patient in the care queue receives surgery or treatment within the care guarantee's 90 days. In cancer care, only just over every third patient receives care according to the national guidelines. Skåne has worse accessibility than the rest of the country in three out of four of the care guarantee's different areas.

Behind all these figures are completely ordinary people and their families, relatives and colleagues who suffer with them. And behind the figures there is also the healthcare staff – those who are on their knees, those who cannot run faster and those who do not get enough resources and colleagues.

That it looks this way is no coincidence. It is political decisions that have led to the healthcare crisis we have in Sweden today. It is about underfunding of the operations and about a lack of political governance. It is about cuts and a political unwillingness to provide support from the government's side. This healthcare crisis could have been avoided.

This is what we Social Democrats have shown, not least in the latest budgets that we have presented. In the 2023 budget, we doubled the supplements to welfare compared to the government, and in 2024, we doubled the appropriations for healthcare compared to the government. In the spring budget, we doubled the government's investments, and we are doing that now as well, when we propose a floor for welfare to secure its financing by having the general state grants adjusted in line with inflation – an inflation protection for healthcare, quite simply.

The government has said no to this. Instead, cuts are now being made to an already struggling healthcare system. At the time of writing, these cuts amount to 2.8 billion Swedish kronor in Skåne alone, while the projected deficit is 4.5 billion Swedish kronor. At the same time, the minister and I receive a tax cut of thousands of kronor.

Madam Speaker! I find it difficult to imagine a political leadership that manages its mandate worse than what we see in Region Skåne, where the minister's party comrades are involved in the governing, and in the country, when it comes to healthcare policy specifically. In two years, the current government of Region Skåne, consisting of Moderaterna, Kristdemokraterna, Liberalerna, and Sverigedemokraterna, has used up the entire surplus that was saved up over a period of ten years. Those were funds intended for investments, not least in healthcare in Skåne. Instead, one must now increase loan financing, also when it comes to operations.

Region Skåne is thus now heading towards a complete debt crisis - in addition to the healthcare crisis. The price will be paid by our children and grandchildren.

My question to the Minister for Health and Social Affairs is: Is it really taking responsibility to put our children and grandchildren into debt in order to manage the operation of health and medical care?

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Sofia Amloh (S)

Madam Speaker! If the Sweden Democrats spent as much time on the healthcare crisis as they do on shifting blame and using the Social Democrats as a red rag to wave, I would think that one could solve the healthcare crisis. Imagine if one were to devote exactly the same amount of time and commitment to that.

It is sad that one does not put the energy into solving the societal problems. One constantly tries to focus on that it is the Social Democrats' fault. I wonder how long one intends to keep that up. What are the Sweden Democrats to have power for if one does not intend to take responsibility for it? Or is it responsibility to blame the Social Democrats instead of governing and taking responsibility?

It is obvious that people are blaming everyone else. It makes my stomach ache when I listen to this. I think back to when we had a pandemic. Would the members in this chamber also blame the Social Democrats during that pandemic? Would one say that the pandemic is the Social Democrats' fault? Yes, that is what one would say, instead of taking responsibility. It could also be someone else's fault.

It is fascinating. I am worried if that were to be the case. But what we are debating today is precisely promises from this government, not least from the Prime Minister. One took on a national responsibility in the TV sofa and promised that it would not have to be necessary to lay off staff. We are describing reality. That is the case. Healthcare staff are allowed to leave and terminate their employment, despite healthcare queues and a lack of availability.

I completely agree with the Minister in the description, and the beginning of the answer, regarding what needs to be done. But then do this! Take responsibility and do something about this! It is about priorities. One does not need to make the tax cuts that you choose to make. One can choose to use that money to ensure that the healthcare queues are reduced. It is actually a healthcare situation that we have after a pandemic and that needs to be managed. Resources will be needed. Resources in the form of staff were needed to manage it. See to it that people are not laid off!

The Prime Minister promises, takes responsibility, and says that this will not need to be done. I can only look at my own region and remind the members that it was a Moderate regional council - it was not a Social Democratic regional council - that pleaded for better conditions from the government. It is about not having to choose between pest and cholera and about getting better conditions. But that was not obtained, and then you are left standing there. What is one to do?

I understand that one tries to hold this by saying that healthcare staff should not be affected, but it wears down all the way in. It is healthcare staff who are being warned about layoffs and who will not be working within Region Sörmland in 2025.

My question remains: Why does the Swedish Prime Minister promise in the TV sofa that no one will have to be laid off? This is a fact. It is the reality. You cannot deny it. Staff are being laid off. What does the Minister say about that? Is it right?

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Carita Boulwén (SD)

Madam Speaker! Today we see a healthcare system inherited with major systemic flaws, a healthcare system where the staff are on their knees and the patients do not receive the care they need and are entitled to. Why is that? Yes, it is so because the Social Democrats' solution to everything is to simply pour in more money without addressing the structural problems.

As I said in my previous post, the healthcare crisis is nothing new. Already in 2014, the problems began to be seen, and it has only escalated. The queues doubled. The queues to BUP tripled. Why did the Social Democrats do nothing during all those years they sat in power?

Here, they are criticizing us. The government had barely managed to take office before one stood here in the speaker's chair and criticized the SD-led government for not taking enough measures to rectify all the problems that the Social Democrats have inflicted on Sweden's population.

Madam Speaker! The Sweden Democrats and the government are now implementing the reforms required to clean up after the Social Democrats' inefficient healthcare policy. We are investing heavily in cutting healthcare queues, increasing accessibility, improving efficiency, and ensuring that healthcare becomes more equitable.

The Minister gave a productive account in his speech of the supplements regarding strengthening the regions and their conditions to provide good and patient-safe care for the entire population. This included, among other things, additional supplements of funds to the regions within the framework of partly a sector grant amounting to 3 billion, which was reinforced in connection with the healthcare reform budget for 2024 with an additional 6 billion, and partly the agreements between the state and SKR concerning various parts of health and medical care totaling just under 9 billion.

For 2025, a total of 18.4 billion is invested in this area. This includes, among other things, increasing healthcare capacity by 7.5 billion, sector grants of 2 billion, and a national healthcare brokerage of 250 million. These reforms will strengthen healthcare and at the same time improve the working environment and the supply of skills for healthcare personnel.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Roger Hedlund (SD)

Madam Speaker! Member of Parliament Sanna Backeskog from Gävleborg County is participating in this debate and describes the situation in Region Gävleborg and the deficiencies she perceives there. I would just like to say that it takes time to transition. We did not receive a smooth handover directly from the previous Social Democratic government.

I can however state that the Sweden Democrats are succeeding very well with the transition that we are making in Region Gävleborg now that we are governing together with the Christian Democrats, the Moderates and the Sjukvårdspartiet. We are working on exactly the issues that need to be worked on, Madam Speaker, so that we can create the conditions for good and functioning healthcare.

For example, during the first quarter of this year, we have managed to reduce the number of hired staff in Gävleborg by 31 percent. We are therefore switching from hired staff to permanent employees, which also creates more security in the interaction and the care that we provide to the citizens. It is a way to transition in order to create secure conditions for those who receive care, but also to create economic conditions in the long term. This is something that we have seen problems with during years of Social Democratic rule. Now we are getting a change.

Socialdemocrat Mikael Dahlqvist, from Värmland, mentions the issues of equality and the Sweden Democrats. There, I can only say that the first thing we did when we took office was that we removed the grants to Ibn Rushd, which, according to the Folkbildningsrådet, turned out to have a female-hostile, homophobic and antisemitic stance. We abolished those grants immediately. We act when we get the opportunity to govern. That is what happens, Madam Speaker, when the Sweden Democrats get influence over politics.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Göran Hargestam (SD)

Madam Speaker! When the Sweden Democrats, together with Östgötasamverkan in Region Östergötland, took over power at the end of 2022, the Social Democrats had the audacity to question the new majority's credibility by emphasizing the limited flexibility regarding new initiatives within health and medical care. That there was no financial room for cost-driving initiatives apparently meant nothing to the Social Democrats. As a consequence of not having understood the serious economic situation, the Social Democrats also chose to move for the rejection of a number of cost-saving measures. Now that we have come this far in the account of why 900 employees have been forced to be laid off in Region Östergötland, one might perhaps think that the interpellator is the one at fault.

During 2023, Sweden's 21 regions reported a deficit corresponding to approximately 18 billion kronor - this despite the Social Democratic-led regions raising taxes a total of 23 times during the period 2014 to 2022.

Does Member Eva Lindh mean that the tax should be raised to cover a deficit created by a reckless economic regional policy with a solution that obviously has not worked at least during the last ten years? Or does Member Eva Lindh consider that the entire responsibility for a region's failed policy, which has led to a crashed economy, lies with the government and that it is the government's task to provide state grants to cover the deficit, regardless of how poorly the region has managed its economy?

Despite several hundred million extra in state grants under the Social Democrats' rule, a majority of regions had a significant loss of nursing competence and large deficits. Is Member of Parliament Eva Lindh aware that it is the Social Democrats' own deficient economic policy that has led to the unstable and unsustainable healthcare situation within a majority of regions?

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mattias Eriksson Falk (SD)

Madam Speaker! My home region Gävleborg was mentioned by Member Sanna Backeskog from the Social Democrats, and a deficit was mentioned. I want to point out that Region Gävleborg has a deficit which is calculated to amount to just over 800 million this year, but 75 percent of that consists of exactly increased pension costs. This is something that will decrease significantly during next year, and it will create better conditions.

Sanna Backeskog from the Socialdemokraterna also mentioned her concern for BB and women's healthcare. In Gävleborg, there are two BBs, one in Gävle and one in Hudiksvall. We previously had three, namely also one in Bollnäs. Unfortunately, it has been shut down, and it was done by the Socialdemokraterna - who then created longer travel distances for women who are going to give birth.

Just when it comes to the hired staff, my colleague from Gävleborg, Roger Hedlund, has mentioned that we have reduced it by more than a third. But there was an article in Vårdfokus concerning how the personnel changes have looked during the period 2019 to 2022, that is, during mostly Social Democratic-led regions and a Social Democratic government. We see that the regions' general personnel increase was 5.9 percent, but the largest part was administrative staff who were employed with the help of temporary state grants. Is that responsible economic policy out in the regions?

Gävleborg was one of three regions where the proportion of administrative staff increased the most in the country under the Social Democrats' rule. It consumes economic resources that could have gone to healthcare and healthcare personnel.

Region Gävleborg's new government, led by the Sverigedemokraterna, is making changes. We are cutting down on administrative staff and moving the resources directly into healthcare. That is how we get good care in our county and country.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Adrian Magnusson (S)

Madam Speaker! The Sweden Democrats' presence in the chamber nevertheless indicates that one feels a responsibility for the crisis and that it must be addressed. That should nevertheless be noted.

I hope that the people of Skåne listen to the representatives of the bourgeoisie in the chamber today and take in what they say. There seems to be broad support that the healthcare policy in Skåne is good. I have never noticed that support, but I have obviously missed those people from Skåne.

I want to point out to Member Eskilandersson that it is not I who is closing the speech therapy clinic in Ystad, but it is the Sverigedemokraterna in Region Skåne who are doing it. It is not I who is doing it. Despite it appearing to be important to resort to anecdotal evidence and talk about one's personal experiences, the clinic is being closed by the party comrades of the district chairman for Sverigedemokraterna in Region Skåne. That might sound good. Instead of arguing with me – it can become a bit embarrassing – one can take two minutes and pick up the phone, call Skåne and say that the speech therapy in Ystad should not be closed. It seems important, and that is a tip from me.

There are often many words in the welfare policy from the representatives of the bourgeoisie. There are many words, and they claim to be enthusiastic about healthcare, school, care, welfare and so on. But it is not a prioritized issue for the Swedish bourgeoisie, and it will never be. This is particularly evident in the budget proposal when taxes are lowered for the very richest instead of investing money in healthcare.

There is another example in Skåne. When healthcare in Ystad is being dismantled bit by bit, one can wonder what the Sverigedemokraterna in southeastern Skåne are doing to drive regional issues. They are going after private art collections at Sjöbo vårdcentral, and that says something about where the priorities lie even here in Skåne.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Sara Gille (SD)

Madam Speaker! This concerns regions where the Social Democrats govern or are involved in influencing the government, and in those cases, the fault lies with the Social Democrats, not with the Sweden Democrats and not with the current government. Direct all of this towards your own party instead, because that is where the problem lies!

Then the Social Democrats do not seem to understand that we are debating politics driven in the regions, and that is where the debates should be taken - not here in the Riksdag.

The day when the Social Democrats actually start prioritizing healthcare and stop spending money on baby riots, champagne projects, and things that simply do not make it easier or better for the region's healthcare, we can take you more seriously. Right now, this is more of a playroom where the Social Democrats choose to blame it all on someone else instead of standing for their own failures - and it is pathetic.

If the interpellants believe that the population is worth so much more, why is the care around the regions not prioritized better? The Sweden Democrats are, unlike the Social Democrats, the party that actually chooses to prioritize the human being over populist culture. Instead of allocating unnecessarily many resources to areas outside the regions' core tasks, the Sweden Democrats in Västerbotten and the rest of Sweden would rather make savings on administration, culture, and areas outside of healthcare-related activities than burden the healthcare system further.

The Social Democrats, on the other hand, focus on picking up cheap points and clearly show an unwillingness to put the citizens' health ahead of evidence-hunting and champagne projects and the like. My advice to the Social Democrats is to learn from us. Then the regions will become much better. Make sure to give the citizens the care they are entitled to!

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Sanna Backeskog (S)

Madam Speaker! In my previous contribution, I spoke about the consequences of the Sweden Democrats' policy regarding healthcare, nationally and here in my county, Gävleborg. And, Madam Speaker, I feel that I need to provide a factual clarification regarding the Sweden Democrats' transition, as it was referred to from the rostrum regarding Region Gävleborg.

As the first and only healthcare region in Sweden, it is planned to corporatize an entire level of care, namely primary care.

While the Moderates in Stockholm, through Kristoffer Tamson's words in DN, say that we have advocated for as many private solutions as possible, the Sweden Democrats are therefore planning a sell-off of the entire primary care in Gävleborg. If they manage to push through everything that their investigation proposes, all health centers will first be corporatized and then sold off. The announcement has caused a stir in my county. It is radical politics that will also lead to increased administrative costs and to reduced democratic control.

Whose interests are these board members supposed to protect? Is it the company's financial position and profit that should be prioritized over the citizens' access to fair and accessible care? In which parts of Gävleborg will the health centers be profitable enough to operate? Is it only in the centers of the largest municipalities?

I am very worried, Madam Speaker, and there are many with me in my home region. An ideologically motivated corporatization process throws employees, patients, and citizens into a great uncertainty. These are the consequences of Sverigedemokratisk policy nationally and in Region Gävleborg.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Runar Filper (SD)

Madam Speaker! The Social Democrats' proposal to dismantle the emergency line in Arvika, Värmland's second-largest municipality, led to an unprecedented atmosphere of rebellion in Västvärmland this winter. Up to 2,000 people gathered in Arvika's square in protest against the Social Democrats' insane closure proposal, and in 25-degree cold. There stood 2,000 people in the 25-degree cold. I was there—in long johns, it should be added.

The Social Democrats can spend 40 million on art but not 23 million on preserving an acute hospital. A sound organization that has ended up in a precarious position begins by reviewing the costs that are not entirely necessary. The last thing they touch is the core activity, that is, what is the purpose for which the organization exists.

That is not how it works within the Socialdemokraterna in Region Värmland. Reflexively, they propose drastic and panicked cuts in healthcare instead of starting by looking at how much could be saved through cuts in other, not entirely necessary, areas.

For the Sweden Democrats, healthcare, public transport and regional infrastructure come before the Social Democrats' priorities of artistic expression, Ibn Rushd and extensive administration surrounding the development of core values.

Healthcare is about life and death, unlike the other areas. A life insurance is to have a proper hospital at a reasonable distance in the event that misfortune strikes. We Sverigedemokrater promise all the residents of Värmland, the people, that the absolute last thing we will cut back on is the physical healthcare production in Värmland.

I will conclude by saying that the Social Democrats rather withdrew the insane proposal regarding the dismantling of the hospital's emergency department after the popular uprising in Arvika.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mikael Eskilandersson (SD)

Madam Speaker! There has been much talk about the Sweden Democrats taking their responsibility, but I want to say that the Sweden Democrats have to a great extent taken their responsibility. We even took our responsibility before we joined the Tidö agreement. It was the Sweden Democrats who, together with Vänstern, KD, and Moderaterna, gave more money to healthcare in 2022 by simply overriding the Social Democratic government, which wanted to give less money to healthcare than we did. Perhaps that is also something one should remember.

Adrian Magnusson took up an example of a closure. And yes, we can stand here and talk about examples of closures in our home regions, but I think it becomes a bit wrong in the debate. Do you remember Folktandvården in Örkelljunga? It no longer exists because the Socialdemokraterna did not want to save it. The Sverigedemokraterna wanted to save it, but we did not have our own majority for it. Now, in the new government, we have had it passed that there shall be a new folktandvård for Örkelljunga. It will definitely make things easier for us, but I think we leave the detailed questions regarding how the care shall be conducted in Skåne to Region Skåne and the debate there.

On the other hand, Helsingborg Hospital is an excellent example of how we are actually working with the healthcare. 65 more people have been employed at this specific hospital. 54 of these are nurses or doctors. One can certainly complain that the number of assistant nurses needs to decrease by 50, but 50 assistant nurses is still fewer than 54 nurses and doctors. In the end, we therefore still have significantly more employees than the Social Democrats had.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Yes, what does it look like in healthcare when the situation for the regions is so difficult as a result of inflation? In August 2022, we had as many operations as in the autumn of 2023. During the first year of our government's term, there was therefore no major change when it came to being able to perform operations or first visits in specialized care. But until this spring, in May 2024, there was a reduction of almost 100,000 in the queues. There was therefore a significant reinforcement and improvement when it came to shortening the queues thanks to the employees in health and medical care.

Since then, we have a more difficult situation now. Partly we have had the summer holidays, partly a conflict on the labor market. It has consequences, and that is the point of a conflict. So it is nothing strange.

Now we are back in more difficult times. I still want to point out that it is possible to shorten queues. It requires that one invests in staff and that the staff have the opportunity for good working conditions and a good working environment. The regions achieved a reduction of the queues by 100,000 over a period of one year. It is therefore possible to achieve this.

It is also the ambition from the government's side with the assignment we have now given to a special investigator: to come up with how we can jointly shorten the queues in the country in a shorter time so that we do not get displacement effects. Such effects often arise when the regions try on their own. How can we do this? The investigator will submit their proposal at the beginning of next year, and then we will see what the regions and the investigator can jointly come up with.

Staff is absolutely essential to succeed in what one does. Therefore, it was important for the government that we provided the special sector support when we ourselves had calculated which risks exist within the regions.

Madam Speaker! One can wonder which part of the government's areas receives the most support in a crisis situation. The fact that healthcare alone receives 9 billion in extra support as a result of inflation probably cannot be due to it being underprioritized, but rather the opposite.

Entirely apart from all budget processes, we announced that there will be an extra 6 billion for healthcare as a result of inflation and the pension agreements the regions have, which corresponded to wages for 7,000 nurses. We can see that it has had an effect, even though the government cannot control the regions. If we were to do that—if either I or the Prime Minister were to say that you may not do this or that you must do that—it would be ministerial rule. Then we would end up in the KU, and on good grounds.

But we can give the regions the conditions, and the government has done that. Now that we see that there is significantly less staff, I would still have wished that every single one remained in the regions. Right now, somewhere up to 1,000 people risk being laid off or dismissed. But it is not anywhere near the numbers we saw at the beginning of the year. The government's support, and the government's extra support, has nevertheless made it possible for many regions to make other decisions. These decisions, Madam Speaker, have been completely necessary for us to be able to maintain good care, shorten queues, and improve care capacity.

I did note, however, that Member Eva Lindh said in her contribution that the Social Democrats provide the resources that are needed. Let me then pose a question to the Member. It is 1 billion extra net that you put in expenditure area 9 to increase healthcare capacity and reinforce the staff. Then you add a little more to general state grants, and healthcare's share of that is 1.7 billion. Altogether, it is 2.7 billion. Healthcare costs 400 billion. Does the Member mean that this is the difference between it going well and not? I look forward to hearing the Member's supplementary views on this.

(Applause)

In this speech, Runar Filper (SD) agreed.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Eva Lindh (S)

Madam Speaker! This is not a playground. It is the Swedish Parliament, where we are expected to take issues seriously and truly do everything we can to improve the situation for people living in Sweden.

I decline to take lessons from the Sweden Democrats because it would mean that we are involved in cutting back on healthcare. We will not do that, because we Social Democrats stand up for a good welfare and good healthcare, and we will continue to do so in the future as well.

Before I turn to the Minister to whom we have addressed the questions, I want to say that I think an incredible amount is strange here. The Sweden Democrats seem to be very proud that we agreed to give more money to the regions during the pandemic. Then they beat their chests and thought it was good, but now that the regions have a great need for money, they no longer want it. Where did that will go? That question must remain rhetorical because no Sweden Democrat has any more speaking time.

What I want to say to the Minister for Health and Social Affairs concerns the inflation, which the Minister has previously said is a temporary setback. The government has chosen to inflation-protect some things – but not healthcare. There are, therefore, different priorities. The sums the Minister for Health and Social Affairs mentions are not correct. We have been increasing [funding] all the time. My colleague Yasmine Bladelius has also mentioned this.

Temporary slump - tell that to those who are waiting for care and need care today! We also need to work long-term with healthcare here and now.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mikael Dahlqvist (S)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Acko Ankarberg Johansson, for the remarks! I hope and believe that the listeners understand the difference in what policy we want to pursue in Sweden when it comes to health and medical care.

I also note that the Minister for Health and Social Affairs, in his interpellation response, is honest and clear that the government does not prioritize fully compensating the regions financially. That is, in fact, how the minister's response to us in today's interpellation debate sounded.

There are, of course, adjustments to be made that do not need to cost money. That is true. It is clear that the administration must be reviewed and that we, nationally, must review all the decisions we have made regarding detailed record-keeping and documentation. But what is the difference in today's debate, and as the debate has been in recent years, is that it concerns exceptionally large deficits. We are, therefore, talking about approximately 12 billion in the sector this year. Even if certain adjustments and improvements are made, they will not help.

The question remains, therefore, and unfortunately it seems to remain unanswered, regarding the Prime Minister's promise. I would have liked to get the Minister's answer on how the Prime Minister could promise in the TV sofa that no one would have to be laid off.

I hope that the Minister for Health and the government choose to compensate the healthcare system in the future instead of making large tax cuts for those who do not actually need the money. It is better to spend money on those who need it.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Yasmine Bladelius (S)

Madam Speaker! It also becomes apparent in this healthcare debate that the Sweden Democrats feel responsible for the healthcare crisis that we have in this country, and they naturally should. The Sweden Democrats are the basis for the government that governs Sweden, the country that now de facto has a healthcare crisis.

Madam Speaker! If I had been the Christian Democratic Minister for Health, I would have been seriously concerned about sitting in government together with the Sweden Democrats, not least after the debate we have held in this chamber today, because not once during all the speeches that many Sweden Democrats have given in this speaker's chair have I heard any proposal for solutions to the healthcare crisis we find ourselves in.

Answers to interpellations

There have been countless accusations against the previous government, the Social Democrats and various social democratic regional politicians, but not a single concrete proposal from the Sweden Democrats on how we should curb the healthcare crisis we have in this country right now. How are we to ensure that no one is laid off in Swedish healthcare? How will the Sweden Democrats, the government base, ensure that the Prime Minister's promise that no one shall be laid off in Swedish healthcare is kept? No answer came from the Sweden Democrats' side this time either.

(Applause)

(cont. § 6)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)