There is such a large shortage of staff in the Norrbotten Region that care is greatly affected. At the emergency room in Gällivare, emergency nurses have flagged that some may have to wait up to 24 hours.
The Norrbotten Region now announces that all activities are affected by the shortage of staff at the same time as there is an increased demand for care.
– Those who are most seriously ill and have the most urgent needs always receive care first. But for other patients, there may be longer waiting times than usual, says Ulf Bergman, head of Division Nära, which includes the region’s health centers and Folktandvården, in a press release.
Great shortage of hired doctors
According to the Norrbotten Region, the strained situation in primary care is partly due to the large shortage of hired doctors in Sweden. The region has agreements with various staffing companies, but this year fewer people than usual have taken up and instead chosen to work in southern Sweden, where most people live.
The region also writes in its press release that the goal is to give all staff four weeks’ holiday and sends an appeal to all Norrbotten residents for an understanding of longer waiting times.
– Call 1177 or go to Digitalen if you are not in urgent need of care. Then you get help faster and may not need to go to the health center or the emergency rooms at our hospitals, says Ulf Bergman.