At the end of July, Lycksele BB closed for planned births.
In total, there has been one emergency birth in Lycksele, and eleven women who had to go to the coast and give birth.
- There was a high load during midsummer and a few weeks ahead, but then it was quite calm, says Olov Grankvist, head of operations at obstetrics and gynecology.
Lack of midwives in Lycksele
The union shares the view that it worked well during the period that Lycksele BB was closed for births.
But there is concern about how staffing will be resolved in the autumn.
- I will go to Lycksele about one week a month and work because there are not enough staff, says Erika Häggblad, president of the Association of Midwives in Västerbotten.
Midwives are allowed to move around
Olov Grankvist understands the union's concerns and says that it will be tough to solve staffing this autumn.
According to him, there is currently a shortage of 23 permanent midwives in the county's three maternity wards, of which 11 are from the positions in Lycksele.
The gaps are filled with temporary temporary workers, midwives for hire and by allowing midwives to move around different maternity units.