Reforming the Swedish health services: the international context

This article reviews the performance of Swedish health services in the international context. It notes that Sweden stands out as a country which has made a major commitment to the welfare state. Nowhere is this more evident than in the health services. Expenditure on health care is high by international standards and over 90% of expenditure derives from public sources. Despite Sweden's achievement in providing comprehensive health care to its population, a number of problems have emerged in recent years. In response to these problems, there has been a debate about options for reform. It is suggested that management reforms may offer the best way forward in improving the performance of health services. Policy makers should take advantage of the decentralised nature of the Swedish system to initiate and evaluate different reforms in different county councils.