Today, there are 286 specialist doctors in rheumatology in Sweden. According to the Swedish Rheumatology Association, 525 are needed.
Many people think that people with rheumatism are older, but it's actually the opposite. It's very young people who get autoimmune diseases. They have the right to the best care, says Jon Thorkell Einarsson, chairman of the Swedish Rheumatology Association, to the channel.
In the next ten years, 74 of today's rheumatologists are expected to retire and too few rheumatologists are being trained in Sweden, according to the association.
"In some areas it is quite acute. Then there is a risk that it will become a downward spiral, meaning that you have no one who can supervise, you have no one who can train a rheumatologist," says Jon Thorkell.
