The Local Sweden

One in three calls to Sweden's emergency number are unnecessary

Fri, 29 Dec 2017 10:15:32 +0100

Around one in three calls to Sweden’s 112 emergency number are unnecessary, with examples including people calling to request a ride from an ambulance, report petty theft, or asking to be forwarded to a different line. And after midnight on New Year the number gets particularly busy.

Shot teen accused of lying in emergency call

Fri, 20 Feb 2015 15:37:00 +0100

A 16-year-old boy says he feared he would die when he made an emergency call to report he'd been shot, but wasn't believed by the operator.

Patient opens fire on Stockholm paramedics

Thu, 20 Feb 2014 10:56:00 +0100

A man unexpectedly pulled out a gun and fired several shots at ambulance workers who had arrived to help him in a Stockholm suburb on Wednesday afternoon.

Ambulance blunder leaves ulcer patient to die

Thu, 07 Nov 2013 15:33:00 +0100

Two Swedish paramedics failed to spot a bleeding ulcer and instead left the patient to bleed to death as he made his own way to hospital.

Machine as good as man at CPR: Swedish study

Mon, 02 Sep 2013 10:14:00 +0200

Chest compressions performed by a machine are just as effective at helping heart attack patients as those performed by a human, a Swedish study has found.

Ambulance staff fired after refugee scandal

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:33:00 +0200

Two ambulance personnel in Gävle were fired on Tuesday for unprofessional behaviour after they refused to take a young asylum seeker to hospital when he jumped from a window.

Refugee-row ambulance staff suspended

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:28:00 +0100

Two ambulance personnel in Gävle have been suspended after police records showed they refused to take a young asylum seeker to hospital after he jumped from a window.

'Swedish hospitals send ambulances too often'

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:25:00 +0100

More ambulances are being sent out for minor injuries in Sweden as emergency workers are afraid of making a potentially fatal mistake, according to a new report.

Old maps result in hour-long ambulance delay

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 14:18:00 +0100

It took ambulance staff nearly one hour to reach a man suffering from chest pains in southern Sweden because their maps were out of date.

Elderly woman dies after ambulance no-show

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 18:36:00 +0200

A 77-year-old woman who fell in her home in southern Sweden had her call for an ambulance refused when she told the duty nurse she had felt better after drinking some whiskey. The woman was found dead the next day.

Paramedics opt for shift change, patient dies

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 10:56:00 +0200

A heart patient died after ambulance drivers who received the high priority call just as their shift was ending decided to swing by the station to change drivers, delaying their arrival to the patient's home.

Ambulance call outrage: 'Are you black or white?'

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 19:41:00 +0200

Swedish emergency operators quizzed a pregnant English-speaking immigrant about her race and ethnicity when she unexpectedly went into labour at the weekend and was forced to wait more than two hours for an ambulance.

'Panicked callers' get better emergency help: Swedish study

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 10:28:00 +0200

The degree of panic in the voices of those who call Swedish emergency service operator SOS Alarm plays an important role in how operators assess callers' need for help, a new study has found.

'Unlike Sweden, when you call an ambulance in the US, it comes'

Thu, 03 May 2012 14:08:00 +0200

After her child suffered a serious injury in Sweden and no ambulance was sent, US-native and parent Rebecca Ahlfeldt was left feeling especially vulnerable.

Report slams denied ambulance call death

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:27:00 +0200

Health authorities in northern Sweden have come in for scathing critique for the death of 22-year-old Jill Söderberg, whose repeated calls for an ambulance were denied because she was “still talking”.

Heart attack victim dies after ambulance denied

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 09:23:00 +0100

A 75-year-old Stockholm man suffering from a heart attack was forced to call three times and wait 13 hours before emergency services operator SOS Alarm finally sent an ambulance. He died in hospital the following day.

Swede with broken neck sent home on painkillers

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:44:00 +0100

A man from northern Sweden was sent home from his local clinic with a handful of painkillers, after falling down the stairs of his house and smashing his head through a door in December last year.

Man dies after ambulance call went unanswered

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:51:00 +0100

A woman whose boyfriend died after she was unable to get through to Swedish emergency response service SOS Alarm has reported the matter to health authorities.

SOS Alarm has 'severe flaws': agency

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 11:19:00 +0100

Emergency services operator SOS Alarm receives heavy criticism from the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) for severe flaws in their judgements of ambulance call-outs.

'Nothing can bring her back': mother

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:57:00 +0200

The mother of a 22-year-old Swedish woman who died after being denied an ambulance because she was “still talking” has reported the incident to Swedish health authorities.