Public health and medical care

Many municipalities and regions have been hit hard financially by the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19. The Government, the Centre Party and the Liberal Party therefore intend to propose additional funding totalling SEK 22 billion in the spring amending budget for 2020, which will be presented on 15 April. This additional funding will be provided both as increased general government grants and an increased amount to cover additional health care and social services costs.

On Thursday, Minister for Rural Affairs Jennie Nilsson called a meeting for the food industry to gain a picture of stakeholders’ preparedness in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. Trade organisations, food companies and trade union representatives for the food industry took part in the meeting.

There is now an ongoing outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The Swedish Government is following developments carefully and is in continuous contact with the responsible authorities. Below is a selection of the Government’s decisions and initiatives that have been taken so far in the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs’ areas.

The Government is proposing to temporarily suspend the medical certificate requirement from the eighth calendar day of a sick pay period.

In light of the extensive spread of the COVID-19 virus and the rapidly changing and uncertain situation for travellers, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs advises against non-essential travel to all countries. Previous decisions taken by the MFA to advise against travel to specific countries or areas continue to apply. The decision to advise against travel was taken on 14 March 2020. This advice applies until 14 April 2020, when the situation will be reappraised.

The WHO has described the spread of the COVID-19 virus as a pandemic. In light of the current exceptional situation, anyone who is planning to travel abroad should carefully consider the risks, and whether the trip really needs to be made.

Due to the coronavirus, a proposal for an additional amending budget is being presented today. The proposal is based on an agreement between the Swedish Social Democratic Party, the Centre Party, the Liberal Party and the Green Party.

In light of the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, which is caused by SARS-CoV-2, the Government has decided to contribute SEK 40 million to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Contingency Fund for Emergencies. The aim of the fund is to strengthen the WHO’s ability to act rapidly, without negatively affecting its other activities, when, for example, there is an outbreak of communicable diseases.

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In the Budget Bill for 2020, the Government presents a range of proposals to increase security and welfare in Sweden. Here you can learn more about the proposals related to the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs.

The 2030 Agenda offers us a new opportunity to influence and help improve the health situation for people in Sweden and globally. By acting globally, we create conditions for positive developments in our own country while also contributing to, and taking responsibility for, positive developments in the world at large. The document Sweden’s work on global health seeks to bring together and consolidate existing strategies, priorities and policies with the aim of setting out a clear and common agenda and creating the conditions for more effective communications, increased collaboration and, ultimately, more impactful Swedish action.

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.

The Barents cooperation has laid the foundation for far-reaching people-to-people cooperation and high-level political dialogue in the European Arctic. The 25th anniversary of cooperation was marked by a seminar at the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the European Union on 5 June to highlight cooperation in an EU perspective and to look ahead.

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.