In the spring of 2020, the government pushed for government grants to get PCR testing of covid-19 started.
The standard amount was set at SEK 1,400 per test.
But the Stockholm Region managed to reduce the cost to SEK 522 per test and then received a surplus of SEK 778 for each test performed.
Lowest cost in the country.
During the second half of 2020 and 2021, the region earned almost SEK 1.7 billion on PCR testing.
- Karolinska has made an efficient negotiation and managed to bring down the prices of the tests.
We have used the money from the surplus to manage covid care in general, says Iréne Svenonius (M) who is finance region councilor in Stockholm.
The agreement states that the state subsidies would go to testing and not to the other corona care.
But several regions, including Stockholm, have used the surplus in other operations.
Large differences between the regions
Stockholm is the region that has made the absolute largest surplus - but a dozen more regions have earned many millions on PCR testing.
According to calculations from the regions that SVT has taken part in.
In total, this is just over SEK 3.5 billion during 2020-2021 for the regions SVT has received information from.
It differs greatly in what each test has cost for different regions, some have according to their own calculations had a cost that roughly corresponds to the compensation.
At the same time, for example, Värmland and Örebro County's cost has been well below half of the compensation.
SVT has sought Minister of Social Affairs Lena Hallengren (S), but she has declined to comment on how she views the surpluses from the PCR testing.