The Green Party in Region Skåne has previously acted on the issue and in the fall of 2024 submitted an initiative to the regional board asking that Region Skåne push the government to make a decision on Swedish participation in the medical evacuation from Gaza. At that time, the Moderates, Liberals, Christian Democrats and their support party, the Sweden Democrats, said no.
In a letter to the regional board and to the hospital boards in Skåne, more than 500 employees are now demanding the same thing. “Therefore, we now urge the hospitals in Skåne to actively take their responsibility, investigate their capacity and encourage the government to offer care to sick patients from Gaza,” the letter states.
The Green Party welcomes the call and fully supports it.
– What we are seeing in Gaza is a humanitarian disaster of a kind rarely seen. Then it should be obvious that Sweden helps and participates in the medical evacuation of seriously ill and injured children, says Mätta Ivarsson, group leader for the Green Party in Region Skåne and member of the regional board.
– The Green Party wants Skåne hospitals to help. The employees want the same thing. The only thing stopping it is that the governing parties M, L and KD say no. It is a depressing cowardice that we see from the government parties, both here in Skåne and in Stockholm, says Mätta Ivarsson.
Since the war in Gaza began, the Green Party has made several proposals for Skåne healthcare to contribute to reducing the suffering of the civilian population. In addition to an initiative to push the government to allow Skåne hospitals to receive evacuated patients, the MP has also made proposals for Skåne healthcare to donate healthcare equipment to Gaza, just as Skåne hospitals, health centers and other businesses are already doing to Ukraine. But each time – in the fall of 2023, February 2024 and spring 2025 – the regional government (M, L, KD and SD) said no.
– I find it incredibly difficult to understand why M, L and KD are not doing more. Here in Skåne, the Tidö parties do not even want to try to influence their party colleagues in Stockholm when it comes to evacuating the injured. Every time we have proposed that Skåne healthcare should be allowed to donate healthcare equipment, the government has come up with excuses and evasions. Unfortunately, it is obvious that the government does not want to help under any circumstances, says Mätta Ivarson.
