The other day, Ekot at Sveriges Radio reported that an investigation by the Health and Social Care Inspectorate (Ivo) shows that there are serious deficiencies at 42 of the country's 45 maternity wards. These deficiencies have not been addressed, despite previous warnings. At 29 of the wards, they do not meet the legal requirements for good care, while 14 wards cannot guarantee good care in acute situations, according to Ivo.
It's deeply tragic to see this news. At the same time, one also becomes incredibly frustrated that nothing has happened – especially since it has been in the media for a very long time that maternity care doesn't work as it should, says Åsa Mörner to TT.
She notes that the Swedish Association of Health Professionals has, for "many, many years", raised the issues to improve the situation for the country's midwives, and thereby be able to provide patient-safe maternity care.
More working full-time
The association believes, among other things, that the staffing for midwives must be adapted to the peak loads of the operations.
You have to start from when it's at its busiest. It also creates opportunities for competence development during calmer periods, says Åsa Mörner.
We have long advocated for "one midwife – one birth", as it provides much greater opportunities to work safely.
There is also a need for more midwives working full-time. To make this possible, among other things, a reduced weekly working time is required, according to the Swedish Association of Health Professionals.
If you look at the profession of midwives, it's a large proportion that doesn't work full-time. And that in itself is a major warning signal: why does it look like that? Well, we actually know. It's because they have an entirely too high workload, that they see that the uncomfortable working hours are not compensated enough, that they have unreasonable schedules that create ill-health, says Åsa Mörner.
Taking vacation
The opportunity to take vacation in a reasonable way – whether it's four consecutive weeks in the summer or one week during the rest of the year – is also highlighted. The Swedish Association of Health Professionals also wants to see a regulated specialist education for midwives, and that they facilitate journaling with the help of AI tools in the future.
We should have a well-functioning healthcare system throughout Sweden, then we must also have a national responsibility for how we make it work – regardless of which region it concerns.
