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HEALTH

Three Swedish regions hike cost of visiting a doctor

From the start of January, the patient fees for a doctor's visit were increased in three Swedish regions, according to the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR).

Published: 10 January 2020 15:03 CET
Three Swedish regions hike cost of visiting a doctor
In Sweden, healthcare costs vary depending on where in the country you live. Photo: Isabell Höjman / TT

In Sweden, the 21 regions are responsible for healthcare, which means fees as well as things like waiting times vary depending on where in the country you live.

In the Sörmland region, it was previously free to visit a primary care doctor, but as of 2019 there is a cost of 200 kronor.

And in the Uppsala and Örebro regions, the fee for a doctor's appointment was raised from 150 to 200 kronor.

Örebro also raised the fee for visiting a specialist, from 280 to 300 kronor, while in Uppsala this kind of visit has got cheaper after a reduction of the fee from 330 to 260 kronor.

In the rest of Sweden's regions, the cost of a trip to the doctor remains the same as in 2018.

It is also possible to get medical assistance through a digital appointment, and the fees for this range from 100 to 300 kronor, again depending on the region.

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HEALTH

Lengthy waiting times at Danish hospitals not going away yet: minister

Danish Minister for the Interior and Health Sophie Løhde has warned that, despite increasing activity at hospitals, it will be some time before current waiting lists are reduced.

Published: 10 May 2023 15:09 CEST
Lengthy waiting times at Danish hospitals not going away yet: minister

The message comes as Løhde was set to meet with officials from regional health authorities on Wednesday to discuss the progress of an acute plan for the Danish health system, launched at the end of last year in an effort to reduce a backlog of waiting times which built up during the coronavirus crisis.

An agreement with regional health authorities on an “acute” spending plan to address the most serious challenges faced by the health services agreed in February, providing 2 billion kroner by the end of 2024.

READ ALSO: What exactly is wrong with the Danish health system?

The national organisation for the health authorities, Danske Regioner, said to newspaper Jyllands-Posten earlier this week that progress on clearing the waiting lists was ahead of schedule.

Some 245,300 operations were completed in the first quarter of this year, 10 percent more than in the same period in 2022 and over the agreed number.

Løhde said that the figures show measures from the acute plan are “beginning to work”.

“It’s positive but even though it suggests that the trend is going the right way, we’re far from our goal and it’s important to keep it up so that we get there,” she said.

“I certainly won’t be satisfied until waiting times are brought down,” she said.

“As long as we are in the process of doing postponed operations, we will unfortunately continue to see a further increase [in waiting times],” Løhde said.

“That’s why it’s crucial that we retain a high activity this year and in 2024,” she added.

Although the government set aside 2 billion kroner in total for the plan, the regional authorities expect the portion of that to be spent in 2023 to run out by the end of the summer. They have therefore asked for some of the 2024 spending to be brought forward.

Løhde is so far reluctant to meet that request according to Jyllands-Posten.

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