ABSTRACT
Health and medical care in Sweden is a public sector responsibility. All health and medical personnel in Sweden, whether employed in private practice or by the county councils, come under the supervision of the National Board of Health and Welfare. On a number of issues, there is consensus in Sweden across the political spectrum. A national health insurance system, financed by state and employer contributions, was established in 1955 and provides medical, sickness, and parental benefits. It serves all Swedish citizens and alien residents. Health and medical services is Sweden have always been linked with the public sector. During the medieval period, medical care, insofar as it existed, was an ecclesiastical concern. The structure of medical appointments, conditions of service, and pay scale is defined through central agreements between the interested organizations representing the county councils and physicians: the Swedish Federation of County Councils and the Swedish Medical Association, respectively.
