The Swedish government has proposed in a legislative referral that municipalities should be allowed to hire doctors in municipal healthcare. Currently, regions are responsible for providing the necessary doctor resources, and municipalities are not permitted to hire doctors for patient-close clinical work in operations they are responsible for, such as nursing homes and home healthcare. According to the proposal, municipalities would get better opportunities to ensure medical competence close to patients.
The demographic development reportedly means that municipal healthcare is handling more and heavier care needs, making it extremely important for municipalities to have the opportunity to strengthen medical competence, according to healthcare minister Elisabet Lann (KD) in a press release. The proposal is intended to complement the current system, with regions continuing to be responsible for providing doctors in primary care.