Around 50 doctors participated in a lunch action outside Skåne University Hospital in Lund, organized by Mellersta Skånes Läkareförening and Malmö Läkareförening, according to multiple reports. Similar gatherings also took place outside Malmö hospital and at several other locations across Sweden. The doctors ate lunch together with their work phones turned off to draw attention to the fact that many physicians work through their unpaid break.
According to a survey by the Swedish Medical Association, only one in ten doctors manage to fully take their break and relax during the day. Many doctors work during their unpaid break and after the workday, equivalent to about 4,000 full-time doctor positions. The same survey found that only 35 percent of doctors complete their work tasks within normal working hours. Doctors in Sweden's regions work about 7.5 million hours of overtime, according to the Swedish Medical Association.
Healthcare is constantly underfunded. When you save money, it's often staff that you cut back on.
The Working Hours Act states that no one should work more than five consecutive hours without a break. However, according to law, employees are entitled to a 45-minute continuous break, which is deducted from salary regardless of whether it is taken. The action 'Läkare tar lunch' started at Sahlgrenska's three hospitals in Gothenburg and Mölndal last year. This year, eight additional hospitals are participating, including in Uddevalla.
According to SVT Skåne, Maria Berglund (KD), chair of the board at Skåne University Hospital, stated that managers at all levels have a responsibility for the work environment and to ensure working hours are followed. She emphasized the importance of staffing the organization correctly so that the right person is in the right place. According to SVT Skåne, Hanna Gröning, chair of Mellersta Skånes Läkareförening, described healthcare as constantly underfunded, with staff cuts often being the result of budget savings. According to SVT Väst, Jenny Larsson Fridén, a senior physician and vice chair of Västra Götalands läkarförbund, noted that the law guarantees a 45-minute continuous break, which is deducted from salary regardless of whether it is taken. She stressed that doctors have the right to their break, regardless of salary. According to SVT Väst, Olle Månsson, a senior physician at NU-sjukvården, described how doctors often work for free indirectly during their lunch break, but he did not perceive it as a problem, rather a right they want to discuss.
According to law, you should have a 45-minute continuous break. It is deducted from our salary regardless of whether we get it or not.
You want a doctor who is not hungry. Regardless of salary, you have the right to your break.
Even though we have lunch, we are available and work for free indirectly.
I don't perceive it as a problem, but it is a right that we want to talk about that we have.
All managers at all levels have a responsibility for the work environment, and to lead the work so that working hours are followed. It is also important to ensure that the organization is staffed correctly, so that the right person is in the right place.