Four regions in northern Sweden will lead efforts to strengthen healthcare capacity in the event of war. They will be the first to develop joint plans, with Gotland and the east coast also identified as priority areas.
The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare, Socialstyrelsen, announced the initiative on October 14, 2026, following an analysis conducted jointly with the Swedish Armed Forces and the Swedish Defence Research Agency. The analysis examined how war could affect healthcare in Sweden and where needs could be greatest.
The four northern regions are Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Västernorrland and Jämtland Härjedalen. They will determine suitable hospital locations in cooperation with Socialstyrelsen and the armed forces, building on existing healthcare facilities. Region Norrbotten will coordinate the work.
Björn Eriksson, director general of Socialstyrelsen, said authorities now had a clearer understanding of the trauma care that could be needed during war and where demand could be greatest.
Three Areas, Different Challenges
The three priority areas face different challenges. In northern Sweden, long distances and a demanding climate complicate medical transport. Polish broadcaster RMF24 also reported that the north could support neighbouring Finland in the event of conflict.
Anna Alm Andersson, Norrbotten’s regional director, said the region’s geography placed particular demands on maintaining healthcare under difficult conditions. The experience gained through the initiative would contribute to Sweden’s wider defence preparedness.
Long distances, a demanding climate and difficult medical transport make northern Sweden particularly challenging. Existing hospitals and healthcare units will need to coordinate their resources to care for wartime casualties.
Along the east coast, healthcare services need to prepare to receive casualties from the Baltic states. On Gotland, the challenge is maintaining healthcare if transport links with the mainland become restricted.
Preparing Existing Hospitals for War
The initiative will develop a model for preparedness hospitals using existing healthcare facilities. Before individual hospitals are designated, authorities and regions will establish how the model should function and what resources it requires.
Planning will cover staffing, premises, equipment and management, alongside coordination with the armed forces on transporting casualties. The aim is to treat significantly more people with traumatic injuries while continuing to provide healthcare to the population.
Region Norrbotten will receive SEK 37 million to build up stocks of medical supplies at strategically important locations. Region Västerbotten will receive SEK 1 million and Region Jämtland Härjedalen SEK 500,000 for the joint preparatory work. Västernorrland will also participate, although it receives no direct allocation under this funding round.
The regions hope to incorporate lessons from Ukraine, where experience showed that medical care needs to be coordinated across multiple regions rather than relying on a single hospital.
Coordinated by the National Board of Health and Welfare, the initiative aims to establish how an emergency hospital should function and develop capabilities matching the Defence Committee’s description of such a hospital. The National Board of Health and Welfare will submit an interim report in mid-August and a final report by the end of March 2027.
Gotland Tests Evacuation Plans
An exercise simulating a military threat involving a hostile air landing was organised on Gotland in early October 2026 to test evacuation plans and procedures. The exercise, called RSÖ26-Utrym, also included relocating people between different locations and establishing temporary infrastructure such as emergency bridges.
Crown Princess Victoria also visited the exercise on Gotland. An official photograph from the Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten) shows her alongside Gotland’s Governor Charlotte Petri Gornitzka and regimental commander Colonel Andreas Gustafsson. Invited international observers from Denmark and Lithuania also attended the exercise.
What happens next?
Lessons from the regions’ work will inform Socialstyrelsen’s proposal for a national model for preparedness hospitals. The proposal is due to be submitted to the government by March 31, 2027. The plans also reflect the cross-border demands of wartime healthcare, with Sweden’s east coast expected to prepare to receive casualties from the Baltic states.