About half of the country’s doctors believe that staff shortages will make it difficult to keep up with their work this summer, according to a survey by the Swedish Medical Association. In addition, a large proportion of doctors believe that the workplace is unprepared for a crisis situation.
About 1,650 doctors took part in the survey between May 20 and 29 this year, and about half of them believe that there will not be enough staff for their regular work during the summer. At the same time, eight out of ten believe they will not be able to perform their regular duties at all or only partially.
In addition, less than one in four doctors believe that their workplace is prepared for an acute crisis, which Sofia Rydgren Stale, president of the Swedish Medical Association (Läkarförbundet), believes is partly due to the lack of beds throughout the country.
– The lack of staff means that important care is not provided, but it also means that care is difficult to scale up in the event of an acute crisis. Today, there are 2,230 unfilled care places across the country, she said in a press release.
The survey was conducted before the Swedish Healthcare Workers’ (Vårdförbundets) Union strike began in several parts of Sweden, but the results are likely to be underestimated, says Rydgren Stale.
“If we had conducted it today, I am sure the alarm signals would have been even more numerous and louder”, she writes in a commentary for Läkartidningen.
Related articles:
Friday the 13th occurs up to three times a year, a...
Solna District Court (Solna tingsrätt) has issued ...
The new Minister for Migration, Johan Forssell (M)...
