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SWEDISH ELDERLY CARE SCANDAL

SOCIAL DEMOCRATS

Juholt demands stricter controls of elderly care

Following recent revelations about conditions at some Swedish nursing homes, both Social Democrat head Håkan Juholt and the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise (Svenskt Näringsliv) have penned opinion pieces demanding more efficient controls and regulation of tax-financed geriatric care.

Juholt demands stricter controls of elderly care

“The reason why alarming reports never stop coming is that politicians are shirking their responsibilities and referring to employees, authorities, municipalities and care companies,” wrote Håkan Juholt in daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter.

Venture capital firms, existing first and foremost to maximize profits, have no place in tax-financed elderly care, he opines.

A political agreement over party lines is therefore needed to ensure quality care and to guarantee that appointed funds for care actually reach the elderly.

But recent revelations regarding scandal-stricken care company Carema, hit by more than 150 reports to the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen), have caused more than Juholt to feel the need for better controls of the care system.

“The most important thing right now is to strengthen quality controls,” wrote Anders Morin, in charge of welfare-political issues at the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, in daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet.

Players hoping to enter the private care field must be carefully investigated, both with regard to their competence and their economic strength, he argued.

When the business is up and running, it must then undergo evaluation and be under effective supervision.

“It must be made simpler to shut down businesses not able to meet quality standards at short notice,” he wrote.

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