After a fun Midsummer, I came back from beautiful Smögen with a terrible cold. Don’t think I ever have had such a bad cold. Happy that I bought some antibiotics in Bangkok before leaving, as it is not possible to buy almost anything without a prescription in Sweden, not even a box of Voltaren painkiller. It’s okay to buy the balm, but not the painkillers.
In the meantime, I have also got to know the medical system a bit better and how it works, or maybe better said, not works, in Sweden.
Suddenly my old mum had breathing issues and got panic attacks. She wanted a doctor to come to her home to help her. First number I called did not exist any longer, so I decided to call Närhälsan (the health care center) which is located about 3 minutes from mum’s home. Here they answered that there were no doctors available for home visits and told me to call 112, which is an emergency number. So I did and they promised to send a team home for my mum. It took about twenty minutes until they arrived and they did the most urgent tests like ekg, measuring the sedimentation rate etc. After a while and a brief discussion between doctor and nurse, they came to the conclusion that the best thing would be to take mum with an ambulance to the hospital Sahlgrenska. I was allowed to go with her in the ambulance.
Upon arrival my mum had to wait on a nursing bunk for hours. The corridors are full of those nursing bunks with people waiting for help. You can’t stop wondering why it takes such a long time before a doctor comes to do an examination.
I couldn’t help thinking of when I found my maid in Bangkok on the floor, fainted. I had to call for an ambulance that arrived from Chulalongkorn hospital after approximately 25 minutes. I must admit, the ambulance reminded me more of an old American truck and my maid was ice sheeted in the trunk like an old suitcase. I was allowed into the front seat. As the caretakers didn’t find her case too serious, we drove without the blue lights and arrived after about 30 minutes. She was welcomed by staff who immediately took her into the emergency room and after not more than a few minutes they had put her on intravenously as she was suffering from lack of liquid. She was placed in a good bed and had to stay for 5-6 hours. I was positively surprised to see how efficient they took care of her and all other arriving patients.
In the meantime I had to handle her enrollment in the hospital, which also went surprisingly fast. As I knew my maid had no decent insurance, I was a bit worried about the cost, but couldn’t believe my eyes when I went to pay, for the ambulance and treatment I didn’t pay more than 1420 thb, unbelievable.
Together, after hours, we took a taxi back home and went straight to bed. It was a pleasant experience. As a foreigner, not able to make yourself understandable in Thai, it might have been a less pleasant experience as very few staff spoke English. I was also a little surprised not to find any shop with English magazines or books in the hospital building. As I had forgotten my mobile charger and something to read while waiting, it was a long afternoon that went into evening, but happy that my maid was feeling well again.
Chulalongkorn hospital can be compared to Sahlgrenska University hospital I would say, but how come a huge hospital in Bangkok has the possibility to immediately take care of the patients without having them waiting in corridors for hours?
Is the answer, there is much more staff available and the staff’s salaries so much less in Thailand, that they can hire more people, or is it that they have much more people taking care of the administration issues?
I think in Sweden the doctors and nurses have not only to do what they are educated for, they also have to do all paperwork by themselves and in my opinion that is the running point.
As a child, I remember we had what we call a “family doctor” that knew you and took care of you, unfortunately that doesn’t exist today, at least not in the big cities.
If you are in need of an e.g. knee surgery, it happens that you have to wait until you absolutely can’t walk anymore due to huge pain or you might get lucky and get rid of the problem before you get an appointment for surgery. Of course, there are some private clinics that have less waiting time, but it’s not that common that you have private medical insurance in Sweden, so your wallet must be quite thick to go to those clinics. In certain cases, you might be lucky to be sent to them by the state, as they can’t find space for you at the public hospitals.
Well, enough about sickness and medical issues. I just think that we are lucky to have so many good hospitals in Thailand and if you have insurance and the possibility to go to the private ones, it’s like checking into a luxury hotel.
I can’t help comparing the dress code of the hospital staff in Thailand versus the staff in Sweden. In Thailand you get happy when you see the nurses in their, mostly pastel colored uniforms and sweet hats, compared to the fluttering county council coats and comfortable “Fobba dojor” (Crocs shoes) that are so beloved in Sweden. You might think I am snobbish now talking about the outfits, but you must agree that a smiling, well dressed nurse is more pleasant to be welcomed and be treated by, or?
Since I have the worst cough ever, I urgently needed a coughing medicine, but had no intention to visit the emergency room again and wait for hours for someone to ask. What to do?
Thank God for good connections. Messaged a former classmate who is a doctor and asked for a prescription and voila, 10 minutes later I received a message saying I can pick it up at any pharmacy in town. As I was visiting my mum in the hospital, I was going to the pharmacy there, but just to find out that it’s never opened during weekends.
Instead I had to take the tram to a Galleria where probably the only pharmacy in the city kept open on a Sunday. Again my thoughts went to Bangkok where everything, everywhere, is open seven days a week.
I have come to realize how extremely important it is to have connections in Sweden. Of course it’s a big help wherever you live, but absolutely necessary in Sweden.
Now you might think I don’t like my home country, as I seem to only complain. It’s not the case. Sweden is a beautiful country and I have noticed, for the last 15 years, that staff at hotels, restaurants and in shops are very polite, friendly and helpful which wasn’t always the case. It seems like the young generation are making big efforts to be extremely efficient and helpful.
Gothenburg has a unique church named FESKEKÖRKA, (Fish church). This place has been closed during some years due to renovation, but now it is open again and looks stunning. Here you can buy fresh fish and seafood and enjoy a delicious lunch.
I remember I read in the newspaper long ago, that a couple even had their wedding in this church, must for sure, have been huge fish lovers.
We have also got two new magnificent hotels in Gothenburg, built by the Norwegian guy, Petter Stordalen, who seems to be in love with Sweden and the Swedish women. Draken at Järntorget, a modern, contemporary hotel with several restaurants and bars and a nice view from the rooftop
There is also hotel Jacy, a glass-paneled skyscraper located about seven minutes walk from Ullevi Stadium. There are two indoor pools with a magnificent view and one outside pool, an American restaurant, a chick Asian lounge and an international lunch eatery. Here you can spend days without having to leave, everything you might wish for is available.
In 2026 Petter will open his latest hotel in Gothenburg, hotel Strawberry. Here Petter is happy to take care of the old Book printing building “Rundqvists” and add a new building with sixteen floors with guestrooms, restaurants and bars and with a design that saves the place and building’s history as a book printer, to arrange a cozy, family friendly atmosphere. This hotel will be, close to the amusement park Liseberg and most welcomed by Liseberg’s CEO Andreas Andersen.
A subject that is in almost every Gothenburger’s mouth, is the disputed Västlänken project, a railway tunnel under construction under central Gothenburg. The purpose of the project is to increase capacity and reduce travel times on the Gothenburg network by changing the Gothenburg Central Station from a terminus to an underground transit station. Two more underground stations, HAGA and KORSVÄGEN, will also be built.
Many people are asking if this project is a good idea and will bring such a change. It causes a lot of traffic problems instantly and costs a fortune.
Well, that’s what’s up in Sweden’s second largest city. Next column I will write about my favorite city, Stockholm, the Venice of the north.
