Equipment to protect healthcare personnel

The programme binds the party to higher demands on working environment as part of a strengthened labour right, and the election manifesto explicitly wants to strengthen healthcare workers' conditions and working environment. The plan notes that the lack of protective equipment was one of the pandemic's clearest weaknesses and that market solutions and resource shortage created near inhuman conditions for the societally essential professions. That the law specifies that equipment should be available to protect staff follows from this.

• higher working environment demandsdecisive»Vänsterpartiet arbetar för en förstärkt arbetsrätt som innebär tryggare anställningar, högre krav på arbetsmiljön och en starkare ställning för kollektivavtalen.« (party programme ↗)“The Left Party works for a strengthened labour right which means more secure employment, higher demands on the working environment and a stronger position for collective agreements.”
• strengthened conditions for care workers»Därför vill Vänsterpartiet satsa mer resurser på hälso- och sjukvården och äldreomsorgen, samt satsa på personalen så att vi samtidigt får bort personalbristen och stärker personalens villkor och arbetsmiljö.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Therefore, the Left Party wants to invest more resources in healthcare and elderly care, and invest in staff so that we simultaneously eliminate staff shortages and strengthen staff conditions and working environment.”
• lack of protective equipment»Det fanns för få vårdplatser, alltför belastade vårdcentraler, för lite personal och för dåliga förberedelser med skyddsutrustning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“There were too few care places, overly burdened health centres, too few staff and poor preparation with protective equipment.”
• unsustainable conditions in welfare»Kombinationen av marknadslösningar, byråkrati och resursbrist har skapat närmast omänskliga villkor för de samhällsbärare vi inte klarar oss utan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The combination of market solutions, bureaucracy and resource shortage has created near inhuman conditions for the society-bearers we cannot manage without.”

The party programme requires that the commonly financed activities meet high standards on good working conditions and that working life is organised so that everyone can feel security for life and health. That the law explicitly states that equipment shall exist to protect healthcare personnel's health and safety is an application of this, and the election manifesto promises better oversight of personnel's working environment and reserves of supplies for healthcare. The question of the law's exact wording is, however, not addressed.

• high standards on working conditionsdecisive»De gemensamt finansierade verksamheterna ska fylla högt ställda krav på bra arbetsvillkor« (party programme ↗)“The commonly financed activities shall meet high standards on good working conditions”
• security for life and health at work»Det måste organiseras så att alla kan känna trygghet till liv« (party programme ↗)“It must be organised so that everyone can feel security for life”
• supply reserves of material»Rusta upp det civila försvaret. Arbetet att förstärka det civila försvaret och krisberedskapen måste fortsätta, bland annat genom ökade resurser för att rusta och bygga beredskapslager för sjukvården« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Upgrade civil defence. The work to strengthen civil defence and crisis preparedness must continue, among other things through increased resources to equip and build supplies reserves for healthcare”
• better working environment oversight»Fler ska utbildas och anställas inom äldreomsorgen och tillsynen av personalens arbetsmiljö ska förbättras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“More shall be educated and employed within elderly care and oversight of personnel's working environment shall be improved.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan demands good working conditions in care and that care and support professions be upgraded after the pandemic, and states that everyone has the right to good physical and psychosocial working conditions. That the law explicitly specifies that equipment shall be available to protect care workers' health and safety follows from this commitment.

• right to good working conditionsdecisive»Alla har rätt till friskvård och en god fysisk och psykosocial arbetsmiljö.« (party programme ↗)“Everyone has the right to fitness support and a good physical and psychosocial working environment.”
• good working conditions in care»höja lönerna och säkra en god arbetsmiljö i vården.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“raise salaries and ensure good working conditions in care.”
• upgrade care professions»Under pandemin applåderade vi vårdpersonalens insatser, men det är hög tid att också uppvärdera vård- och omsorgsyrkena.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“During the pandemic we applauded the efforts of care workers, but it is high time to also upgrade care and support professions.”

The plan's stated goal is that working conditions in care and healthcare should improve and that conditions in the female-dominated public sector should be strengthened. That the law explicitly states that equipment shall be available to protect healthcare staff's health and safety fulfils that commitment in an area that the pandemic exposed. However, the plan does not address the wording of the Health and Medical Services Act.

• improved working conditions in healthcaredecisive»Arbetsvillkoren inom vård och omsorg måste förbättras« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Working conditions in care and healthcare must improve”
• conditions in female-dominated professions»Vi vill uppvärdera statusen för kvinnodominerande yrken och förbättra arbetsvillkoren inom offentlig sektor, bland annat genom karriärtjänster och rätt till kompetensutveckling.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to raise the status of female-dominated professions and improve working conditions in the public sector, including through career paths and the right to skills development.”
• staff's conditions at the center»Hon eller han ska ha möjlighet att fokusera på sitt kärnuppdrag, vidareutbilda sig med bibehållen lön och återhämta sig när det behövs.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“He or she should be able to focus on their core task, develop skills with maintained salary, and recover when needed.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan gives the state greater responsibility for healthcare preparedness and requires good working conditions for care personnel. That the law explicitly states that equipment shall exist to protect staff health and safety follows from these commitments, particularly after shortcomings in protective equipment during a pandemic. The plan also wants publicly financed employers to be models.

• good working conditions in caredecisive»de som arbetar inom vården mötas av goda arbetsvillkor, fler kollegor och bra löneutveckling« (2022 manifesto ↗)“those working in care are met with good working conditions, more colleagues, and good wage development”
• state preparedness responsibility»Staten ska ta ett större ansvar för sjukvårdens strategiska planering, placering av högspecialiserad vård, beredskap och långsiktig kompetensförsörjning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The state shall take greater responsibility for healthcare's strategic planning, placement of highly specialized care, preparedness, and long-term competency supply.”
• public employers as models»Arbetsgivare i offentligt finansierad verksamhet ska vara förebilder« (party programme ↗)“Employers in publicly financed activity shall be models”
• attractive care professions»Bristyrken ska bli drömjobb.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Labour shortage occupations shall become dream jobs.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan establishes that occupational safety should take into account both physical and mental health of employees and that the state should actively work for an improved working environment through advice, support and inspection. Care should at the same time be safe for patients, which presupposes protected personnel. That the law explicitly provides for the protection of healthcare personnel's health and safety thus follows from the plan.

• occupational safety for personneldecisive»arbetsmiljö ska ta hänsyn till såväl fysisk som psykisk« (party programme ↗)“working environment should take into account both physical and mental”
• state responsibility for working environment»Staten ska bland annat genom rådgivning, stöd och kontroll aktivt verka för en förbättrad« (party programme ↗)“The state should, among other things through advice, support and inspection, actively work for an improved”
• safe care»säker för patienterna« (party programme ↗)“safe for patients”
• better conditions in care»Förbättrade villkor i vårdens bristyrken« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Improved conditions in shortage occupations in care”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's closest commitment is to strengthen healthcare workers through better working conditions and to build better emergency stocks of medical supplies after the pandemic's shortcomings. That the law explicitly states that equipment shall be available to protect healthcare workers' health and safety lies within that ambition, but the plan takes no position on the law's wording, so the basis is weak.

• better working conditions in healthcaredecisive»Stärka vårdens medarbetare, bland annat genom att förbättra arbetsmiljön och möjligheterna till vidareutbildning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen healthcare workers, among other things by improving working conditions and opportunities for further training”
• preparedness for protective equipment»Utöver bättre livmedelsberedskap behöver Sverige bygga upp bättre beredskapslager av till exempel läkemedel och sjukvårdsmateriel.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Beyond better food preparedness, Sweden needs to build up better emergency stocks of for example medicines and medical supplies.”
• lessons from the pandemic»Coronakommissionens slutsatser om att äldreomsorgen inte stod förberedd och rustad att möta samhällsspridningen i pandemin måste leda till förändring.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Corona Commission's conclusions that elderly care was not prepared and equipped to meet community spread in the pandemic must lead to change.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's commitment to thorough occupational safety work at every workplace and increased safety for healthcare personnel speaks to the law explicitly stating that equipment shall be available to protect personnel health and safety. The plan additionally wants to increase safety and security in working life generally. The requirement thus aligns with the plan's direction, even though the plan does not address the specific wording of the law.

• thorough occupational safety workdecisive»Ingen ska behöva avlida eller skadas allvarligt på jobbet. Varje svensk arbetsplats ska ha ett fullgott arbetsmiljöarbete som skapar trygghet för medarbetarna.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“No one should have to die or be seriously injured at work. Every Swedish workplace should have thorough occupational safety work that creates security for staff.”
• safety for healthcare personnel»Öka tryggheten för vårdpersonal och på akutmottagningar« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase safety for healthcare personnel and in emergency departments”
• safe working life»Öka tryggheten och säkerheten i arbetslivet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase safety and security in working life”
• access to protective materials»Sveriges självförsörjning av energi, livsmedel och medicinskt material behöver öka och snabbt kunna skalas upp vid långvariga störningar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden's self-sufficiency in energy, food and medical materials needs to increase and be able to rapidly scale up during prolonged disruptions.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.