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STRIKES

Swedish nurses and midwives set to walk out on June 4th

A full-blown strike is set to break out in Swedish healthcare at 11am on June 4th.

Published: 3 June 2024 11:24 CEST
Swedish nurses and midwives set to walk out on June 4th
If no agreement is reached, the strike could double on June 11th. Photo: Jessica Gow/TT

Demanding shorter work hours, some 2,000 nurses, midwives, biomedical analysts and radiology nurses are set to walk out on June 4th in five regions: Stockholm, Västra Götaland, Skåne, Östergötland and Västerbotten, including seven of Sweden’s largest hospitals.

Then on June 11th, if the conflict isn’t resolved, another 1,900 union members and two new regions, Värmland and Västmanland, will join the walkout.

A blockade on overtime and new hires has been in place for 63,000 members of the Swedish Association of Health Professionals union in all Swedish regions since April 25th, and was extended to 5,000 municipal employees in 29 municipalities from May 20th.

Healthcare is run regionally in Sweden, but municipalities organise welfare services such as elderly care and school nurses.

The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR) is blaming the consequences of the strike on the union, claiming that it could risk the lives of patients. The union refutes this, saying that healthcare was already endangered before it threatened to strike.

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HEALTH

Sweden to roll out English-language blood donation in more regions

English speakers who don’t speak Swedish can currently only donate blood in Stockholm, but The Local has been told of plans to roll out the service to Gothenburg and Uppsala in the year ahead.

Published: 14 June 2024 12:39 CEST
Sweden to roll out English-language blood donation in more regions

“The decision has been made and a process to introduce it is under way,” GeBlod press spokesperson Ulrika Ljung told The Local when we contacted the blood donor organisation on Friday.

We were not told of concrete plans to introduce English-language blood donation in any other regions at this stage.

The reason it’s only possible to donate blood in Swedish in most regions is because the donor must fully understand the health declaration they must sign, which ensures the blood is safe.

Five years ago, Stockholm became the first region in Sweden to translate the relevant material and train staff in medical English. But as healthcare is run at a regional level, it is up to individual regions to decide whether to make this possible in their regions.

FACT CHECK:

Sweden needs more blood to be able to cope with crisis situations, GeBlod warned in a statement on June 14th as part of the World Blood Donor Day campaign. Yet the number of people who signed up as blood donors in 2023 fell by 14 percent compared to the year before.

Although Sweden is self-sufficient in blood, it said the number of blood donors needs to double to strengthen preparedness for a potential attack or crisis.

Sixty percent of donated blood in 2023 was donated by people over the age of 45.

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