“The run-up to parliamentary elections [in 2018], which delivered a hung parliament, saw a strong rise in support for the Sweden Democrats, a nationalist party, and was dominated by debates over immigration and the welfare state.
“As in many previous elections in the country, health care was one of the top issues for voters. But this year, pre-election campaigning highlighted how many Swedes are beginning to raise serious concerns about one of the pillars of the country’s society.
“‘There is a perception among the public that the health-care system is worsening”, Niklas Bolin, a political analyst and associate professor at Mid Sweden University’s Department of Social Sciences, told The Lancet.
“Pre-election polling showed health care was the most important issue for almost 40% of voters.
“Campaigns for these elections happened in amid a scandal over the construction of what is expected to be the most costly hospital in the world, complaints about an increasingly severe lack of resources and capacity at health-care facilities, and failing treatment services for patients.”
Source: Holt, Ed. Health in Sweden: a political issue. Lancet. 2018 Oct 6;392(10154):1184-1185. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32459-0.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30319101