The Government is concerned about the healthcare queues and has asked an investigator to come up with proposals for one-time measures for quick results.
We must now take action on the queues that exist, says Minister of Health Acko Ankarberg (KD).
The investigation states that the waiting times for healthcare are "longer than ever". In August 2024, 89,435 people had waited longer than the healthcare guarantee's deadline for a procedure or operation within specialized care.
Three operations
The investigator Anna Nergårdh is now proposing one-time efforts to quickly shorten waiting times for three types of operations: hip replacement, hernia, and cataract surgery.
Nergårdh explains that these operations were chosen because many are waiting for them and that there are significant differences in waiting times between regions, indicating available capacity.
Quite a lot suggests that this is practically feasible, says Nergårdh.
The idea is that the regions will be rewarded with state funds at the end of the year, and the amount will be directly linked to the number of operations performed. The proposal is estimated to cost the state a total of 314 million kronor.
The regions can choose to perform the operations themselves or have private healthcare providers with whom they have agreements perform them. According to Nergårdh, many agreements are not fully utilized today.
Making a difference
The existing state "queue billions" investments are about rewarding regions for handling a certain percentage of patients in a general healthcare queue and are not directly linked to the number of operations performed.
When asked about the effect of the one-time effort, Nergårdh responds:
For the patients who receive their operation through this effort, it makes all the difference.
The Minister of Health states that the Government will soon announce how to proceed with the proposals to shorten waiting times in healthcare.
We have tried different types of measures without succeeding, so we want to try something new, says Ankarberg.
The investigation also proposes funds for healthcare guarantee offices and procurement authorities to find available healthcare capacity in the country and to better utilize agreements with private healthcare providers.
The investigation also believes that regions should stop performing arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis and meniscal injuries, as it does not improve patient outcomes.
