Country Correspondent: Ulrika Winblad
More than 720 Swedish general practitioners (GPs) have signed a petition stating that if more resources are not invested in the primary health care sector, it will collapse. The physicians fear they will not be able to handle the prevention and care of chronically ill patients, which in turn will add to the workload within specialist, acute, or hospital care. They are also concerned about their working environment, with about one of five GPs having taken leave because of stress-related conditions in the past five years. The physicians call for the different political parties to come together to reach consensus on a national strategy for recruiting and retaining primary care physicians, more time set aside for research and training, and a maximum cap of 1,500 registered patients per full-time GP.