Pregnant women in Västerbotten have the longest distance in the country when Lycksele BB is closed

Lycksele BB is the country's smallest and in 2021 264 babies were born there.

Those who live in the mountain regions of Västerbotten have about a two-hour drive to the birth in Lycksele.

"Exceptional distances"

The announcement from the politicians is now that childbirth will have closed at least until the fall of 2023. The women in the inland and mountain areas are instead referred to Skellefteå and Umeå.

This means that the travel time to the birth is doubled.

- Not even Norrbotten, which is even larger and sparser, has such long distances.

Västerbotten would become the only region in Sweden with the exceptional distances for pregnant women, says Anders Sylvan, who investigated BB in Lycksele as an external consultant.

The region must investigate what measures should be taken to ensure and secure the care of women who are expected to give birth during the time Lycksele BB is closed.

That's how long the distances are in Västerbotten - watch SVT's presenter Emma Grönlund explain in the video: "Like between Stockholm and Gothenburg"