Stafettläkare - Räddaren i Nöden?

Sammanfattning: During a long period of time, rental doctors have created a vast debate in Sweden. Currently, there is a shortage of doctors working in Sweden and to guarantee the lawful right to healthcare of high quality the counties must hire doctors through employment agencies. There are different opinions about rental doctors, some thinks the temporary employment results in a negative work environment and furthermore puts the patients at risk. Other people consider the Swedish healthcare to not function without rental doctors.  The purpose of this essay is to investigate rental doctors through a legal perspective and how temporary employment actually affects the patients’ security and the work environment in Sweden’s healthcare. Additionally, I want to examine options for counties to reduce the dependence of rental doctors and employment agencies. Through this essay I have foremost found a shortage of specialized doctors in Sweden, although there has been an incline of students in medicine. Counties in the northern parts of Sweden and sparsely populated areas have the vastest dependence of rental doctors, which results in future complications. Rental doctors are a necessity to guarantee a positive healthcare in counties that are having difficulties recruiting personal, but in long-term dependence of rental doctors complications appear. The long-termed temporary employment jeopardies the patient’s security and consistency of the treatment and affects the work environment in the healthcare. A majority of workers values social relations at work and a constant shortage of staff results in stress and illness. Therefore it is a necessity to reduce the dependency of rental doctors, although they are a necessity when no other caregiver is of disposal. When Sweden became a part of the European Union, the possibilities expanded for doctors to educate and work all around the union. All states in the union accepted the directive 2005/36/EG which means that all education for doctors to be equal and a simplification of the international labor market. In the beginning of the 21st century there was a growth in Swedish medical students that study and work abroad. There is also an incline of foreign doctors who decides to work in Sweden; furthermore it creates complications including longer introductions and language difficulties. However the inclines of foreign doctors are a useful alternative to reduce the dependence of rental doctors.