Healthcare in Sweden

Compared with other countries at a similar development level, the Swedish health care system performs well, with good medical success in relation to investments and despite cost restrictions. But as in many other European countries there is a deficit of physicians and Sweden needs to recruit specialists from other countries.

    Sweden's entire population has equal access to health care services. The Swedish health care system is government funded and heavily decentralized. The role of the Government is mainly limited to providing the legal framework and supervising the quality of the health care. Financial and operative responsibility rests with the 21 county councils. The population in these 21 areas ranges from 60,000 to 1,900,000. The county councils have considerable leeway in deciding how care should be planned and delivered. This explains the wide regional variations.

 

Primary care is the basis of the health and medical care service. Today most health care is provided in health centres where a variety of health professionals work - doctors, nurses, midwives, physiotherapists and others. Sixty hospitals provide specialist care with emergency services 24 hours a day. The county councils own all emergency hospitals. Eight are regional hospitals where highly specialised care is offered and where most teaching and research is located.