Region Örebro län is failing to meet Sweden's healthcare guarantee standards, according to a review commissioned by the region itself. The investigation, which examined primary care accessibility between 2021 and 2025, found persistent difficulties for residents trying to get telephone appointments and responses within the mandated three-day period.
Behcet Barsom (KD), chairman of the health and medical care committee, acknowledged the problems, stating, "It's frustrating." He added, "We are aware of this and know that the problem has existed and will continue to exist." The review concluded that neither the health and medical care committee nor the regional board has done enough to address the issue.
it is frustrating and that the problem has existed and will continue
Örebro resident Ayan Mohamed Hussein described the challenges: "It's hard to get an appointment at the healthcare center. You need to call several times." Barsom attributed the difficulties primarily to resource shortages, noting, "We don't have enough doctors and nurses."
In response to the findings, the region has allocated 40 million kronor to healthcare centers to improve accessibility. However, Barsom emphasized the need to retain locally trained medical professionals, stating, "We also need to get the doctors who train here to stay." The problems with telephone access to Örebro healthcare centers were first identified by SVT as early as 2019.
He attributed much of it to a lack of resources, including insufficient doctors and nurses
Barsom emphasized the need to retain doctors trained in the area
it requires multiple phone calls