These hospitals will be ready in case of war. Sweden presents a plan

As Bjoern Eriksson, director of the Health and Social Care Council, emphasizes, the preparations are based on the already existing medical infrastructure.

Our goal is to increase the ability to help a large number of injured people, while maintaining the continuity of standard health care, explains Eriksson. In practice, this means not only the expansion of stocks of medical materials, but also staff training and close cooperation with the army.

Why these regions?

The choice of three locations is not accidental. The north of Sweden is a region with a harsh climate, and also an area from which support is planned for neighboring Finland in the event of a conflict. Gotland, located in the Baltic Sea, may be cut off from the rest of the country, which requires special logistical preparations. In turn, the eastern coast is to be ready to receive the wounded from the Baltic countries if the situation in the region escalates.

Cooperation with the army and million-dollar subsidies

The preparations include not only infrastructure and personnel issues, but also cooperation with the army in the field of transport of the injured.

Regional governments responsible for health care in peacetime will receive special subsidies from the state budget for this purpose. The largest financial support – 37 million kroner, or approximately EUR 3.3 million – will go to the northern region of Norrbotten.

Evacuation exercises on Gotland

As part of the preparations, several hundred residents were evacuated on Gotland last week. These were the first such large-scale exercises since the 1960s.

The Swedes do not hide the fact that these activities are aimed at checking the readiness of services and residents in the event of a real threat.