Participants from Sweden

Population (mio.): 10,41

GDP per capita (EUR): 45 610

Healthcare expenditure % of GDP: 11 %

Healthcare expenditure per capita (EUR): 5 042

Healthcare model and general information on healthcare system (financing, stakeholders, insurance):

Healthcare in Sweden is decentralised – responsibility lies with the regional councils and, in some cases, local councils or municipal governments.

Sweden is divided into 290 municipalities and 21 regional councils. The decentralisation of healthcare is regulated by the Health and Medical Service Act. The role of the central government is to establish principles and guidelines, and to set the political agenda for health and medical care. The bulk of health and medical costs in Sweden are paid for by regional and municipal taxes. Contributions from the national government are another source of funding, while patient fees cover only a small percentage of costs.

Patient fees are set by each region and vary across the country. Some visits are generally free of charge, such as child and school health care, screening, or health care for the elderly.

Daniel Forslund

Head of Innovation, Swedish Association of Private Care Providers

Daniel Forslund has been Healthcare DENMARK Ambassador for several years and has had the great privilege of visiting Danish healthcare companies on several trips as well as helping with the organisation of events and visits to Sweden from Danish companies within health tech.   

From 1st of March, Forslund has a new role as Development Manager for Vårdföretagarna, which is the industry organisation for all private care providers in Sweden with almost 2000 member companies that conduct care on behalf of regions and municipalities.

Jenni Nordborg

National Coordinator for Life Sciences, Head of the Office for Life Sciences

Jenni Nordborg is appointed national Life Science Coordinator of Sweden. She leads the work with life science in the Government Offices, which includes administrators from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social Affairs.  

Nordborg holds a PhD from Chalmers University of Technology and has previously been the Head of the Bioentrepreneurship Department, Health Division at VINNOVA, the Swedish Governmental Innovation Agency.

Karina Tellinger

Coordinator and Strategist e-health at SKR

Karina Tellinger McNeil was one of the pioneers in the introduction of e-prescriptions. She trained as a nurse for a short time clinically, before joining the then state monopoly Apoteket AB. At the turn of the millennium, there was a small group that worked for all of Sweden’s doctors to start sending prescriptions electronically. Six years later, 60 percent of all prescriptions were sent electronically.  

In addition to her education as a nurse, Karina also holds an MBA from the Stockholm School of Economics. Today, she is Coordinator for Vision e-health 2025 at SKR – The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions.

Niclas Jacobson

Deputy Director-General and Head of the Division for European Union

Niclas Jacobson is Deputy Director-General and Head of the Division for European Union and International Affairs within the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs. He has held this position since 2011. From 2011 through 2014 he also served as Chairman of the European Union Social Protection Committee Working Group on Ageing. From 2004 to 2010 he worked specifically with issues related to ageing and elderly care. In 2008 he was appointed Administrative Head of the Special Commission to draft minimum standards of competence to work within elderly care.
Since 1992 he has held different positions within the Swedish Government Offices, including the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs. Jacobson received his Bachelor in Political Science from Uppsala University.