Ove Grape has spinal stenosis, where collapsed discs pinch nerves, causing severe pain that painkillers hardly help. In February 2024, healthcare decided he should be operated on for neck problems, but he is still waiting as the operation has been postponed several times. The latest time, he was in the department with IVs in his arms when a surgeon postponed it due to many slip-and-fall accidents.
A queue for orthopedic operations began forming during the pandemic, and in 2023, only 40 percent of operations at the Musculoskeletal Center in Umeå were performed within the 90-day care guarantee limit. A few years ago, the situation was better, but last year a large shortage of operating room nurses nearly halted some operations during spring. The gap in spring 2025 caused the quickly accumulated queue, and it takes time to scale down, with the center carrying a backpack on top of pandemic remnants.
It causes me to have very severe pain, painkillers hardly help at all.
In summer, the center brought in temporary staff, improving the situation compared to a year ago. To reduce the queue faster, more staff is needed, including anesthesia nurses, according to Lisbeth Brax Olofsson. Statistics show only 33 percent of operations are currently performed within the care guarantee limit, but after changing the medical record system in 2025, patients who cannot be operated on for medical reasons or who voluntarily wait are also counted, making numbers not directly comparable.
Lisbeth Brax Olofsson says the center does not reach 40 percent, which is too little, but she does not believe the number is as low as 33 percent. At the beginning of 2023, 1,400 patients were in the queue for an operation at the Musculoskeletal Center in Umeå.
The latest time, I was in the department with IVs in my arms when the surgeon came in and said they wanted to postpone the operation due to many slip-and-fall accidents.