The hiring staff is in many places necessary to keep the care going, but it is also an expensive solution that is considered to increase patient risks.

In 2016, an SVT audit showed that the cost of hired healthcare staff doubled in five years, despite a number of projects to break the trend. Then a new venture was launched in which the regions would jointly make themselves independent of hiring staff until January 1, 2019.

Responsible politicians felt that this effort would succeed because the county councils were now in agreement.

- If everyone does it at the same time and works according to that plan, then it will have an impact wherever you apply with your staffing company around the country, the then County Council of Västernorrland Erik Lövgren (S) told SVT at the end of 2016.

But that did not happen. SVT has mapped the costs up to September last year and, admittedly, the bill for renters is slightly reduced, but for hired nurses it increases so much that the total figure continues upwards.

Only two decrease two years in a row

In Östergötland, for example, the cost of renting nurses has almost doubled, and in Gotland they have increased by 74 percent.

Swedish healthcare's annual rent note now stands at just over SEK 5.5 billion, compared with just under SEK 2 billion in 2010.

In Östergötland, total costs have increased by 66 percent, in Skåne by 35 percent and in Stockholm by 26 percent.

In ten of Sweden's 21 regions, costs have increased, in ten regions they have decreased and in one (Blekinge) the development is stalled.

Only two regions - Halland and Jämtland / Härjedalen - in SVT's comparison managed to reduce the total rental costs two years in a row.

Large differences per inhabitant

Stockholm, Västra Götaland and Västernorrland have the highest costs overall. But when you take into account the crowd, the picture becomes a different one.

Today's costs, on average, correspond to SEK 544 per inhabitant in Sweden, but the costs are very unevenly distributed across the country. In Västernorrland, they currently correspond to SEK 2,000 per year and inhabitants, over SEK 1,000 per inhabitant in the Gotland, Gävleborg and Norrbotten regions, and just under 1,000 in Jämtland / Härjedalen.

Örebro comes closest to the national average with SEK 546 per inhabitant, and in Stockholm, Västra Götaland and Skåne the costs are lowest - below SEK 350 per inhabitant.