Residents in Region Värmland are experiencing some of the longest ambulance response times in Sweden, according to recent statistics. Only Norrbotten and Västernorrland have longer average response times than Värmland, where patients wait an average of 18.4 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.
The situation is particularly severe in Arvika, where residents wait nearly 28 minutes (27.9 minutes) for emergency medical transport - the longest response time in the entire region. This represents more than double the response time from 2023, when Arvika's average wait was 13 minutes and 25 seconds.
In contrast, the neighboring municipality of Årjäng has seen significant improvement, with response times halving from 21 minutes and 10 seconds to just 11.3 minutes - the fastest response time in Värmland.
The data, compiled from SOS Alarm and Kolada statistics by insurance company Dina Försäkringar, shows a concerning trend of increasing wait times in several Värmland municipalities despite improvements in others.