Public health gets better with more money - and in the long run it pays off

Public health in Östergötland is generally getting better, but there is a group that is going in the opposite direction. They are those who live in socio-economically vulnerable areas, such as Ryd and Skäggetorp in Linköping, or Hageby and Navestad in Norrköping. But with more preventive measures, that trend could be reversed.

- Working preventively is about making sure that people do not get sick from lifestyle diseases. But it is also very much about working with people's ability to feel confident in themselves and in society. Basically, it is about creating good living conditions for all people, says Maria Elgstrand, operations manager at the Public Health and Statistics Unit in the Östergötland region.

Maria Elgstrand is convinced that every penny invested in preventive health care is something that pays off in the long run.

- At the national level, about 4 percent are invested in preventive health care. That number does not need to be doubled, but if it is increased slightly, we will have better public health in all socio-economic groups.

In Östergötland, the health and medical care board in the Östergötland region buys healthcare for almost SEK 13 billion every year, and it is a strained budget. Last autumn, the ruling majority decided to raise taxes to cope with the economy.

The corona pandemic does not make the economic situation easier, and finding more money for preventive health care is not easy. Both the ruling majority and the opposition think so.

- It is important to invest in the right things that have an effect, and this is a work that needs to be done very broadly and everyone in society needs to do it together, says the regional councilor in the Östergötland region, Kerstin Sjöberg (C).

Are there no thoughts of investing more money to save money in the end?

- Yes, but then the question is what should we stop doing? We can not stop caring for those who are sick now. I see this as a process and there will be more focus on preventive health work, says Kerstin Sjöberg.

She adds that there is already preventive health work in the region. For example, the Health Conversation, which is about everyone who seeks primary care being encouraged, encouraged and drawn attention to how it is possible to live a healthier life. And the project Östgötamodellen for equal health.

Opposition councilor Marie Morell (M) also thinks that preventive health work is a good thing, but believes that it is not primarily about allocating more money to that work.

- We have put forward different ideas, above all to use several digital services, but I think you can use the money you have in a smarter way and then you will also benefit from it. But sometimes it is different wallets, one that has to pay and the other that takes home the profit, unfortunately, says Marie Morell.