Several surgeries stopped after the healthcare blockade: “Creates suffering”

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There is still a stalemate in the negotiations between the Health Care Association and the employer.

During Friday, around 20 planned operations were canceled in Region Stockholm as an effect of the blockade and more are to be expected if the conflict continues.

– It risks creating some suffering for the patients who go home and are in pain, says Johan Bratt, chief physician in Region Stockholm.

At 4:00 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, the Vårdförbundet’s blockade came into force.

A total of 63,000 members then went into conflict after the negotiations between the union and the employer Sweden’s municipalities and regions and Sobona ran aground.

The result is that the members will not work any overtime or overtime.

At lunchtime on Friday, the negotiations were still deadlocked.

– There are no negotiations going on at the moment. We get a lot of questions from our members and what we are doing right now is dealing with them, says Matilda Uusijärvi, press manager at Vårdförbundet.

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“No response received”

SKR also confirms that the parties are currently far apart.

– We have stated to the Health Care Association that we want the negotiations to be resumed with immediate effect so that we can reach an agreement, but so far we have not received any response, says Jeanette Hedberg, head of negotiations at SKR.

The demand put forward by the Vårdförbundet is a gradual shortening of working hours, sustainable schedules, four weeks of consecutive summer holidays and wage increases.

According to SKR, it is primarily the shortening of working hours that is the major bottleneck.

– As it is, we already have a very tough financial situation and great difficulties with staffing the operations out in the municipalities and regions.

When will you make renewed contact?

– Soon if we don’t hear anything.

Aftonbladet has been in contact with some of the larger regions.

Johan Bratt, chief physician in Region Stockholm, confirms that around 20 planned operations have been canceled and thus postponed.

– It is not about any emergency operations or cancer surgery, but about, for example, orthopedic operations in the form of hip and knee operations. These are operations that can be medically expected.

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“Creates a suffering”

On occasional occasions, such as for example with ambulance operations, the region has also had to use protective work, which means that you get a dispensation for overtime.

However, Johan Bratt states that, at the moment, the emergency care can be managed.

– But in the longer term, if this goes on for several weeks or a month, the surgery and return visit queues will increase, which thus creates some suffering for the patients who go home and are in pain.

In Region Skåne, operations at Skåne University Hospital are currently conducted as usual.

– Patients must seek care as they usually do and assume that booked care visits will be missed. But we are also prepared for the fact that changes may need to be made the longer the conflict continues, says chief physician Sven Karlsson.

He states, however, that there may be talk that working hours may be shifted and that schedules may change to deal with the blockade in the future.

– It may also be relevant to move employees within operations to ensure urgent and high-priority care.

Risk of having to work more

In Region Västerbotten, 2,700 employees at all three hospitals are currently affected by the blockade, which is described as having an “extensive impact on health care”.

“The most vulnerable are emergency departments, operations, intensive care, airborne transport, ambulances and childbirth,” writes communications strategist Gabriella Bandling in an email to Aftonbladet.

She notes, however, that extensive preparatory work has been done within the region.

“It concerns changing working hours, changing on-call and standby to regular working hours, reviewing planning and when and how work must be done”.

In conclusion, she writes that planned operations, follow-ups and return visits may have to be reduced or closed during a conflict, which contributes to longer waiting times.

“Professional groups that are not covered by the conflict risk having to work more and under higher pressure, with an impact on the work environment and workload as a result”.