Medical care

On 11–13 May, Minister for Health Care Elisabet Lann and Minister for Gender Equality Nina Larsson visited Kyiv and Lviv. The aim of their visit was to gain insight into Ukraine’s health and medical care and the situation for women during Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Sweden aims to take a leading role in artificial intelligence. The Government is now presenting a new AI strategy with the aim of providing more effective government agencies, clearer rules for businesses and better conditions for research. The objective is for Sweden to be among the world’s top 10 countries in the field of AI.

For several intensive February days in Cairo, Minister for Health Care Elisabet Lann met with organisers and actors that care for severely injured patients from Gaza on a daily basis. The trip provided a deeper understanding of the extensive work being done and how Swedish initiatives are contributing.

Sweden’s support to Ukraine makes a difference. The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) has approved increased funding for the National Board of Health and Welfare’s programme for expanded support to Ukraine for health and medical care, care of older people and children.

On Monday 9 February, Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health Jakob Forssmed, Minister for Older People and Social Security Anna Tenje, Minister for Social Services Camilla Waltersson Grönwall, and the Liberal Party’s Fredrik Malm will hold a press conference to present the Government’s news on its increased support to Ukraine in the health and medical care and social policy areas. Ukraine’s Ambassador to Sweden Svitlana Zalishchuk will attend the press conference.

This strategy has a ten-year perspective to enable various actors to work long term on issues that can help realise the vision: “A society in which access to treatment with antimicrobials is maintained through cross-sectoral and sector-specific initiatives to prevent infection and limit the development, spread and consequences of resistant microorganisms.”

The Government has adopted a new 10-year strategy to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The strategy will guide and reinforce Sweden’s work in this area and contribute to global goals of reducing mortality.

(New version) Security in Sweden’s neighbourhood has deteriorated dramatically in recent years. The Government is therefore carrying out the most sweeping modernisation of Sweden’s total defence since the end of the Cold War. In the Budget Bill for 2026, the Tidö Parties propose a new package for stronger civil defence. Funding will go towards better stockpiling of health care products, renovating Sweden’s protective shelters, building up new food contingency reserves and improving preparedness efforts of Sweden’s municipalities and regions. The Government proposes allocating SEK 3 billion to civil defence in 2026, SEK 4.2 billion in 2027 and SEK 4.6 billion in 2028. These proposals total approximately SEK 12 billion in 2026–2028.

After two years of negotiations, EU Member States have agreed on a proposal for a revised pharmaceutical legislation in Europe. The process has met many obstacles along the way and the countries’ positions have been far apart on many fundamental issues, not least in regard to data protection issues and incentives for the development of priority antimicrobials.

On 21–23 May, Minister for Social Services Camilla Waltersson Grönvall and Minister for Older People and Social Security Anna Tenje visited Lviv, Ukraine. While in Ukraine, Ms Waltersson Grönvall and Ms Tenje took part in the Ministerial Social Policy Summit, which Sweden co-hosted together with Ukraine, Moldova and Lithuania. Ministers from several EU countries were also in attendance.

Sweden’s national life sciences strategy serves as a long-range framework, and the strategy’s eight priority areas remain the starting point for this update of the previous strategy from 2019.

Opinion piece by Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health Jakob Forssmed, Altinget, 4 February 2025

Dementia is one of the major public health issues of our time. The number of people living with a dementia diagnosis is increasing. At the same time research in the field is advancing rapidly. The Government therefore plans to adopt an updated national dementia strategy to improve health and social care for people with dementia. The Government also intends to approve government agency assignments and funding in the field.

The Government has decided to invest SEK 4.3 billion in global health and increased sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Sida has been tasked with implementing a five-year strategy for Sweden’s development cooperation in the area of health and sexual and reproductive health and rights from 2025 to 2029.

Statement from Minister for Health Care Acko Ankarberg Johansson.

Minister for Health Care Acko Ankarberg Johansson and Ukrainian Minister of Health Viktor Liashko have signed a technical agreement between Sweden and Ukraine. The aim is to intensify cooperation and advance Ukraine’s process of integration into the EU. Ms Ankarberg Johansson also visited several care facilities in Kyiv, including the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital that Russia attacked in July.

Sweden is an active force for child and maternal care, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and other health care around the world. Support to health care in Ukraine, access to SRHR, and fundamental health and vaccination campaigns are important focus areas. Cooperation with civil society is also being strengthened. The annual development assistance for health report, published today, 11 October, outlines all of this and much more.

In 2023,Sweden’s development assistance for health totalled approximately SEK 5.7 billion. Support to health care in Ukraine, access to SRHR, and fundamental health and vaccination campaigns are important focus areas.

On 24–26 September, Minister for Health Care Acko Ankarberg Johansson attended the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. She also represented Sweden in a High-level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance and a panel on cervical cancer.

The Government’s new reform agenda, ‘Development assistance for a new era – freedom, empowerment and sustainable growth’, has a particular focus on improved health for the most vulnerable people. Initiatives are needed to improve prospects of good health, ensure functioning health and medical care systems, and strengthen preparedness, in order to better address health threats at global level. Sweden has an important role to play in these efforts.