New report: Poor preparedness in Östergötland before the pandemic

The National Audit Office has spoken to many different authorities before the report was written.

Among other things, the county administrative boards in the counties of Östergötland, Stockholm and Södermanland, as the three were hardest hit in the early stages of the pandemic.

Much of the criticism is directed at the state and authorities.

Measures were taken to help regions and municipalities with the purchase of more equipment, but often far too late and too slowly, according to the report.

- The government and responsible authorities have neither set clear requirements for emergency stocks nor offered guidance on how to build them up, says Auditor General Helena Lindberg.

Unnecessary hesitation before action

The county administrative boards also receive some criticism in the report.

They were commissioned to collect information about the situation in the municipalities, but that work took time as the county administrative boards would first discuss whether they had a mandate for it.

- The county administrative boards' hesitation was unjustified and contributed to an unnecessary delay in the state's crisis management, says Helena Lindberg.