Ministry of Health and Social Affairs

In June 2018, the Government adopted a national action plan to combat female genital mutilation.The aim of the action plan is to prevent and combat female genital mutilation and improve victim support, to achieve the Government’s goals for gender equality policy, child rights policy and youth policy, as well as the goals of the 2030 Agenda.

In this film, Minister for the Elderly Lena Hallengren talks about investments in care for older people for 2015–2018. For example, the Government has invested SEK 7 billion to increase staffing levels in care for older people, it will be easier to receive home-help services, a dementia strategy has been adopted and investment support for housing for older people is now available.

In this film, Minister for Health and Social Affairs Annika Strandhäll talks about health care investments made between 2015 and 2018. The Government has made investments in cancer care, mental health services, women’s health, health care accessibility and quality, and other areas.

Rescue services, government agencies and local authorities are engaged in intensive efforts in response to the forest fires raging around the country, the widespread drought and the ongoing heat wave. More information about these efforts is available below. Crisis preparedness is part of the remit of every government agency and authority.

The prolonged heat and drought have impacted many sectors of society. There have been numerous forest fires, the agricultural sector has been severely affected by the drought and groundwater levels have dropped. The extreme temperatures can also cause health problems, especially among older people and the sick. The Government is following developments closely and taking the necessary decisions. The Government Offices is in continuous contact with the responsible government agencies.

Sweden is experiencing unusually high temperatures this summer. Heatwaves can cause problems for people's health. Exposure to heat carries with it different risks for different individuals.

On 24 May, the Government adopted a national strategy for dementia care. Sweden’s population is living longer. Life expectancy has risen almost continuously for the past 250 years, and is currently more than 84 years for women and close to 81 years for men. The risk of developing dementia rises with increasing age. This national strategy will enable the Government in the coming years to adopt a more comprehensive approach to dementia care. The Government wants to secure improved quality of care and increased safety and security for people with dementia and their families.

On 13 June, the Riksdag (the Swedish parliament) adopted a bill on making the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Swedish law. In order for the convention to have a greater impact, the Government is also proposing a guidance document, an education initiative and continued systematic transformation work.

On 15–16 May, Sweden and Minister for Children, the Elderly and Gender Equality Lena Hallengren hosted the 4th International Conference on Men and Equal Opportunities (ICMEO) in Stockholm. Among the 300 participants were several European gender equality ministers, researchers and representatives of government agencies and civil society. The role and responsibility of men and boys in gender equality efforts was in focus, as well as how we change social norms that have negative effects.

In mid-April 2018, the Government presented the Bill entitled ‘Good and equitable public health – an advanced public health policy’ to the Riksdag. The overarching objective of public health policy will be reworded, with a clearer focus on equitable health throughout the population, and the goal of reducing avoidable health inequalities within a generation.