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STOCKHOLM (BLOOMBERG) – Sweden faces a healthcare worker shortage as the number of resignations rises after a relentless year of caring for Covid-19 patients.
The president of the Swedish Association of Health Professionals, Sineva Ribeiro, says the situation is “dire”. Even before the first wave of the pandemic in March, there was a “shortage of skilled nurses, even in ICUs,” he said in a telephone interview.
The development shows that even countries with universal healthcare systems are now struggling to keep up with the Covid-19 crisis. This week, Stockholm’s intensive care capacity reached 99 percent, causing panic in the city and prompting calls for outside help.
But even if more ICU beds are provided, the biggest concern now is whether Sweden has enough healthcare workers with the necessary skills to care for the country’s sickest patients.
Ms. Ribeiro says that as early as May, her union members “warned of an unsustainable situation.” Fewer qualified people are available now than in the spring, “which makes it more difficult to expand the capacity of the UCI,” he said.
Healthcare professionals have become the heroes of the Covid-19 crisis, often drawing cheers from grateful onlookers as they leave hospitals after long and grueling shifts.
But increasingly, staff are so desperate for real time off that they see resignation as the only way out, Ms. Ribeiro said. A survey conducted by broadcaster TV4 showed that in 13 of the 21 regions of Sweden, resignations in the health profession have increased compared to a year ago, up to 500 per month.
Stockholm County Army Mayor Irene Svenonius says the situation is “extremely tense.” In an interview with Dagens Nyheter on Friday, he acknowledged that healthcare workers are overworked and there is a need to add staff.
“There is fatigue,” he said. “You can’t ignore that, so it’s extremely important to get more people.”
It’s unclear where that extra capacity will come from. Stockholm has requested additional medical personnel from the Swedish armed forces, but it is not clear that the army has the resources to help. Sweden, which has avoided a lockdown since the pandemic began, may now need to turn to its Nordic neighbors for help.
The concern is that, despite scientific advances that allow doctors to better understand and treat Covid-19, there are not enough professionals left to put that knowledge into practice.
“We don’t have the staff to do it,” Ribeiro said. She described the current health crisis facing the country as “unprecedented.”
Part of the problem is that nurses, in particular, are less and less willing to undergo the hours and conditions they face during the Covid-19 crisis, given the average salary level.
Sara Nordin, who was once a nursing assistant in an intensive care unit, told Bloomberg in October that she quit because she couldn’t make ends meet on the $ 33,600 (S $ 44,900) base salary she received annually. .
“I spoke with members in August who said they would resign because it was the only way to have some time off and recover,” Ribeiro said. “We see high rates of illness, symptoms of exhaustion and infected limbs.”
For Sweden, the danger now is that more people will die because there are not enough qualified health professionals left to care for them.
“In a work environment where you are so tired, the risk of making mistakes increases,” said MS Ribeiro. “And those mistakes can result in the death of patients.”
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