Social minister defends controversial government assignment on existential health

Social Minister Jakob Forssmed (KD) has dismissed claims that the former director-general of the Public Health Agency of Sweden, Karin Tegmark Wisell, left her post due to criticism of a government assignment on existential health, calling the reports unfounded.

“Much of this is pulled out of thin air,” Forssmed told SVT Nyheter. “There is absolutely no basis for the idea that she left because she was skeptical of the assignment. That was never raised at any point.”

Forssmed, who initiated the government’s focus on existential health, defended the assignment, which was given to the Public Health Agency in April 2024. He argued that in a time when many young people feel life is meaningless or lack hope, the issue is relevant.

“Existential health is about hope and meaning in life,” he said. “It’s an important dimension of health that we should explore further.”

Critics, including former state epidemiologist Magnus Gisslén, have called the assignment “frivolous,” arguing that it is not a suitable focus for an expert agency. Forssmed, however, said he had not encountered resistance within the agency.

“I haven’t come across that. But I can understand that this is an assignment that isn’t entirely obvious. It’s a bit new, and there were questions about how to approach it.”

Forssmed also denied any connection between the assignment and the work of Birgitta Ed, the wife of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who is involved in existential health issues. “There is no link,” he said, adding that he had no opinion on her work.

The Public Health Agency defines existential health as involving meaning-making, relationships with oneself, others, and nature, a sense of security, and a feeling of being part of something greater.