When Prime Minister Kristersson suddenly promised on TV4 that no one would have to be made redundant in healthcare, it became a political hot potato. The opposition demanded answers – when will the regions be told how much money they get from the state? The answer came on Monday. According to calculations, the regions need to save 24 billion – the Tidö parties give them 6 billion. No coincidence The sum was not added by chance. According to the government office’s calculations, healthcare is facing around 6,000 notified notices of layoffs – six billion is enough for the equivalent of 7,000 nurses. Kristersson thus thinks he can keep his word from the couch on TV4. The core question then becomes: are the Tidö parties right? Is the six billion enough to prevent people from being made redundant in the Swedish healthcare system? The answer is most likely no. Just hours after today’s press conference, the news came from Sörmland: the notification of 700 employees remains. And the same message now comes from Östergötland, where 900 people are still being notified of dismissal, according to Corren. – We have a deficit of approximately one billion in Region Sörmland. An addition of SEK 180 million will not mean that we can keep all this staff, says Christoffer Öqvist (M), chairman of the regional board in Region Sörmland to TV4 Nyheterna. At least 1,000 more jobs Chief economist at Sweden’s Municipalities and Regions, SKR, Annika Wallenskog believes that the regions will be forced to save – heavily. Today’s support billions probably mean that there won’t be as many redundancies – on the other hand, many positions will disappear, probably at least 1000, she tells TV4 Nyheterna tonight. It is about nurses who retire, whose positions are never filled. It is also about temporary workers who are not appointed, or temporary doctors who are not hired. Around 280,000 people work in healthcare. SKR also agrees that the regions have great potential to streamline their bureaucracy. SKR expects the regions to make a deficit next year as well of between 3-5 billion. But in election year 2026, SKR believes that the regions will once again be in balance. That election, care will once again be one of the voters’ most important issues.
t4-general