Healthcare has emerged as the defining issue for voters ahead of Sweden’s election on September 13, with political parties across the spectrum promising measures to tackle long waiting times, staff shortages and weaknesses in primary care.
The issue has gained importance since the pandemic, as pressure on Sweden’s healthcare system has raised questions about whether the country’s welfare model is meeting public expectations. An August poll found that 64% of voters considered healthcare one of their most important political issues, up from 55% in May. Separate polling by Novus for pharmaceutical industry group Lif found that 34% of voters could consider changing their political party based on its healthcare policies.
The centre-right Moderate Party has proposed reducing the statutory healthcare guarantee for specialist treatment from 90 days to 30 days. If a region could not provide treatment within that period, patients would be offered care elsewhere, with their home region covering the cost.
Official figures show the scale of the challenge. Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare reported that 27% of patients were waiting beyond the 90-day guarantee for planned specialist surgery or treatment in April 2026.
The Christian Democrats have proposed a more fundamental change, calling for the country’s region-based healthcare system to be replaced with a state-run model. The party argues that the current structure creates differences in access and prevents healthcare capacity from being used efficiently across the country.
The Social Democrats, who lead the polls, have focused on primary care and pledged that at least 80% of Swedes should have a named doctor by 2030. The Centre Party has made a similar promise, while the Liberals want to add 4,500 general practitioner positions.
Doctors and healthcare experts, however, say none of the proposals addresses the full scale of the problem.
Fanny Nilsson, an internal medicine doctor and board member of the Swedish Society of Medicine, said workforce shortages, poor staff retention, administrative pressure and inadequate primary care capacity were central problems.
Hanna Kataoka, president of the Swedish Medical Association, said waiting lists would continue unless those issues were addressed.
Sweden has strong specialist healthcare, research and access to advanced treatments, but patients can struggle to obtain basic primary care. OECD data showed that 7% of Swedes in 2024 reported being unable to obtain primary care they needed, more than twice the EU average of 3%.
Hospital capacity is another concern. Sweden had 1.9 hospital beds per 1,000 people in 2023, the lowest level in the EU, according to OECD data.
Nilsson warned that the Moderate Party’s proposed 30-day guarantee could increase reliance on private providers in major cities, while rural regions could remain short of staff.
Experts are also sceptical that transferring responsibility from regional authorities to the national government would automatically solve the problems facing the system.
Kataoka said a major structural reform could consume years of political attention while leaving workforce shortages, working conditions, primary care capacity and long-term planning unresolved.
For healthcare professionals, the election debate is therefore less about changing who runs the system and more about ensuring there are enough staff, beds and time to provide patients with consistent care.
