Healthcare in Sweden

For several years now, Swedish patients have had to wait in long queues in order to receive even the most basic medical care. The newspaper Dagens Nyheter recently wrote about a brave lady who became so fed up with the wait and the constant pain that she travelled to the Klinikum Neustadt hospital in Germany using borrowed funds (after an ambiguous rejection of her application to the national insurance office). In Germany, she received a new knee-joint and was treated to a first-class rehabilitation programme:

She says her stay at the hospital was almost like a dream. The care she was received was professional, she was treated well and had her own room for much of her stay. The room had a view of the Lybeck bay. She was not discharged from the hospital until she had undergone a comprehensive rehabilitation programme which included physiotherapy in a swimming pool, various forms of massage, lavender baths and body wraps. She even praised the food at the hospital and was impressed that it was served at the table by waitresses in "beautiful grey-striped outfits".

- "It was as if I were in another world," she said. Shortly before she was due to be discharged, she met a group from Södertälje Hospital in Sweden which was on a study visit at the German hospital. "My German doctor asked me to look after them a while, as I could speak the language. I showed them my room and the areas in which I had had my physiotherapy exercises." The group was amazed. "My dear girl, are you here on holiday?" exclaimed one of the Swedish visitors.

People in a democratic society must have the right to decide where they go for medical treatment. And given that the average Swede pays so much of his salary in taxes then it is of course to be expected that the cost of medical treatment be covered by the national insurance office.

It is fantastic that Swedes have opened their eyes and begun to realise that the Swedish health care system is definitely not the best that a person can get. Imagine: being treated and rehabilitated in one go, without being shuffled around from one place to another like luggage! There are countries, even some which do not have huge resources, which nevertheless put great emphasis on the quality of health care, hospitals, freedom of choice and last, but not least, good customer service.

If there ever comes a day when I need medical help then I shall do what any sensible consumer would and ought to do: I shall investigate a selection of countries, taking skill, customer service, comfort, reputation, waiting period and cost into account. And then I shall compare these with what is available in Sweden. I do not intend to meekly wait and suffer endless pain with all that entails, when expert assistance can be found not far from the border!

Another thing that I often consider is that in Sweden, it is rare that anyone is held accountable (sacked, struck from the medical register, sentenced to prison, etc.) as a result of negligence, incorrect diagnosis or prescription/administration of wrong medicine which resulted in serious harm to, or the death of a patient. Everyone protects one another and the healthcare disciplinary board (HSAN) gives "warnings", - albeit reluctantly - blames routines and sends the "accused" back to work, to the next unsuspecting victim. And in the few cases where a patient or his family manages to successfully pursue a case, the sums awarded tend to be woefully low.

Things are different abroad. There is a degree of honour among hospital staff that forces them to do the right thing and accept their responsibility and the accompanying punishment when they have been at fault. No assigning of blame to the system or to routines. If they fail to accept responsibility then some other honourable person files a report immediately. After all, no-one wants to be charged as an accomplice! Furthermore, the damages awarded are much higher than in Sweden.

This, if nothing else, ought to foster some degree of trust in foreign healthcare systems. But as soon as anyone mentions travelling abroad to receive medical assistance the newspapers and television studios become overwhelmed with politicians and staff from the national insurance office, expressing their concern for these misguided people who think that the medical care they receive abroad could ever be better than the one they could receive in Sweden. "We must be extremely careful," they say, "we must be absolutely certain that the standard of medical care abroad is "just as high as in Sweden" or "on par with Swedish health care," etc. They don't even entertain the thought that it could very well be better, and perhaps by a very long shot! This is reminiscent of the misinformation that they consistently spread about independent schools and anything else that gives the people of Sweden a choice in life.

The scare propaganda tactics against foreign health care providers and private health care alternatives in Sweden must cease. Sweden is not the best at everything.

Further reading: Swedish healthcare system clearly worst at taking care of patients (in Swedish)