The so-called Healthcare Responsibility Committee has investigated whether the state should take over the responsibility for healthcare entirely or partially.
As it now submits its final report, an increased state responsibility is proposed within certain areas, but not that the state should take over the responsibility from the regions.
”Great risks”
The parties in the committee are divided.
The Social Democratic Party, the Moderate Party, the Left Party, the Centre Party, the Green Party, and the Liberals do not think that there is a basis for believing that it would lead to improvements if the state takes over, and also point out great risks and that it would cost a lot.
The Sweden Democrats and the Christian Democrats, on the other hand, see strong reasons for and a need for nationalization.
The committee, however, agrees that the state should get increased control over certain areas, such as competence supply, medicines, screening, forensic psychiatry, and air ambulance care.
It can, for example, involve the state paying for a larger part of the financing.
That the healthcare system should be nationalized was a big issue for the Christian Democrats in the election campaign. It was also one of the most important issues for the party when the Tidö Agreement was negotiated. Despite the fact that six parties thus continue to be against, Health Minister Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD) claims that it is an important "position shift".
I welcome the shift that has been made. It is different for different parties, but that parties now unanimously want more state control, that is a change.
Will continue to drive the issue
At a subsequent press conference, Christian Democratic leader Ebba Busch says that her party will continue to drive the issue.
With this, you have one of our most important promises, already now, and continues:
Now we have taken it this far. Then it is pretty obvious what the next step is. It is that we go, she says.
Several opposition parties, contrary to the Christian Democrats, believe that healthcare would not become better if the state takes over. Fredrik Lundh Sammeli, healthcare policy spokesperson for the Social Democratic Party, believes that the issue is now dead.
We are broadly in agreement that equality and equal treatment need to be improved, but nationalization is not the way, so I believe that this is the nail in the coffin for the Christian Democrats' idea, he says.
