Stockholm's ambulance services are in crisis, with only one ambulance available for hundreds of thousands of residents. Ambulance nurse Emil Skoglund highlights severe staff shortages and poor working conditions, calling it a 'perfect storm.' The situation has prompted a crisis meeting by regional leaders, as concerns over patient safety grow.
Stockholm Faces Ambulance Crisis: Only One Ambulance on Duty for Hundreds of Thousands
Stockholm Faces Ambulance Crisis: Only One Ambulance on Duty for Hundreds of Thousands
Only one ambulance is in service for hundreds of thousands of residents. Now, staff at the ambulance station in Stockholm city are raising the alarm.
– We have always been cautious about discussing such matters as it is a preparedness issue. But now I feel the situation is intolerable. The public must be informed, says ambulance nurse Emil Skoglund.
Conditions in ambulance services have long been strained with staff shortages and vehicles being taken out of service.
– But this is the worst I have seen in my eight years. And now we are in a normal situation. We have no pandemic or disaster to handle, yet it looks like this, says Emil Skoglund, who is also a union representative and safety officer.
Whether the lone ambulance encountered any problems is unknown, but colleagues reported that the situation was very pressured.
Covers Almost All of Stockholm City
– Normally, at least three ambulances should be on duty around the clock in Stockholm city, but usually more, according to Emil Skoglund.
The area includes Norrmalm, Vasastan, Östermalm, Kungsholmen, and nearby areas. Södermalm is covered from the south.
Other ambulance stations in Stockholm County help cover the area.
– But if an ambulance has to come from Lidingö or Solna, that area is left without coverage.
In Stockholm County, with nearly 2.5 million residents, there are around 30 ambulance stations. The area covered by the city station houses hundreds of thousands.
He describes the situation as a 'perfect storm' of poor working conditions, resignations, and recruitment difficulties.
– Next weekend, I see we have 16 vacant shifts for specialist nurses for ambulances in northern Stockholm, says Emil Skoglund, who received three text messages asking him to take extra shifts during the conversation with TT.
He is actually on vacation but stepped in on Monday.
According to Emil Skoglund, there was no ambulance in northern Stockholm to respond to a drowning alarm.
– They had to frantically call out to other vehicles in the region to see if anyone could go.
According to Region Stockholm, help arrived within minutes, and it turned out no one was in danger.
Lowered Starting Salary
In 2024 and 2025, Region Stockholm has taken back ambulance services into public management. According to Skoglund, salaries have since been reduced.
– Many newly graduated applicants decline due to the salary. Instead, they get another job with better pay within the region, says Emil Skoglund.
After Emil Skoglund raised the alarm about Tuesday's situation, regional leadership called for a crisis meeting. TT is seeking Region Stockholm.
Opposition regional councilor Kristoffer Tamsons (M) calls the situation a direct threat to patient safety.
“It is a failure that this is now the case and unacceptable that the political leadership is dodging responsibility for the situation,” he writes in a comment.