Swedish party leaders clash over healthcare in heated debate

Leaders of Sweden’s Christian Democrats (KD) and Left Party (V) exchanged sharp criticism during a televised party leader debate on healthcare, with Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar accusing the centre-right Tidö coalition of creating “real chaos” in the system, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reports.

Dadgostar argued the state had failed in its responsibility for healthcare, while KD leader Ebba Busch countered that the centre-right government had allocated 25 billion kronor to reduce waiting times.

“Should we have an Americanised, privatised healthcare system where your wallet decides? Or should we have our strong public healthcare where those with the greatest need come first?” Dadgostar asked.

Busch responded by accusing the Social Democrats of increasing waiting lists whenever in power, claiming the centre-right had consistently cut them. “It’s clear the difference between creating and cutting queues is an S—every time S [the Social Democrats] took office, queues grew. Every time we took over, we cut them,” she said.

Dadgostar cited Gävleborg and Skåne as examples where she claimed right-wing governance was “corporatising” primary care, preparing for a sell-off of public healthcare. Busch dismissed the criticism, stating, “You really know nothing about how healthcare is managed.”

The debate, which also covered gender equality, continued after the broadcast ended.