The government wants to strengthen the state's governance and role in procurement through the inquiry. Specifically, the inquiry will analyze how the state can sign national healthcare agreements that can ultimately shorten healthcare queues.
It is urgent because people in need of care have put their lives on hold while waiting. Sweden is failing to utilize existing care capacity. It is unacceptable that patients do not receive care in a timely manner, says Elisabet Lann.
The investigator will map the regions' procurement, identify obstacles and look at how procurement of specialized private healthcare can be made more efficient.
This investigation fundamentally challenges Sweden's decentralized healthcare system. When the regions fail to fulfill their mission, the state ensures that there is an opportunity to utilize capacity that the regions have chosen not to utilize. We do not accept that the regions cannot comply with the law, says the Minister of Health.
Nationalization of healthcare has been a subject of debate and is one of the Christian Democrats' core issues.
This would be a huge step if the state were to step in and procure healthcare, but we agree on this within the government, says Lann.
The assignment must be reported no later than June 14, 2027.
