Patient deaths prompt Swedish healthcare audit

The Local reported in September on a case where 22-year-old Jill Söderberg died in her apartment after calling emergency service SOS Alarm three times, without getting help.

The report in DN also mentions a case where a 23-year-old man died in his apartment after being denied an ambulance.

“There are indications that care isn’t given on equal terms,” Gudrun Antemar at the Swedish National Audit Office (Riksrevisionen) told Dagens Nyheter.

“Also that patient safety could have been better, and signs that our health care is fragmented.”

Antemar recently signed decisions to allow pre-studies to examine both the ambulance care, and the program for shortening health care waiting time – Kömiljarden – which together with the “Vårdgarantin” (literally: care guarantee), is intended to ensure care for people within a certain time period.

The audit is meant to examine if ambulance care is given to those in need, and also if the implemented programmes have served their purpose.

Antemar told the paper that she will be examining how the healthcare system is being run over a number of years, to highlight any issues and hopefully be able to recommend improvements.