Studying brings with it factors such as stress and uncertain living conditions that can lead to the need for student health care. Sometimes the illness is related to studies. Therefore, the country's student health clinics are important for students to be given the right conditions to feel good throughout their studies. Due to cuts in the education budget, funds for student health clinics in the country are being reduced at the same time as the need for the clinics is increasing, especially for students with stress-related problems. The 2020 budget bill has invested 25 million in student health by 2021. It is a welcome step in the right direction, but more work is required.
SFS believes that a student health clinic must not charge fees from students. Nor must the activities of student health clinics be cut back as a consequence of universities being forced to make savings. It is also important that a good national standard for the activities of student health clinics be established, so that the well-being of students is guaranteed, regardless of their choice of place of study or education.
When a student becomes ill, there is currently uncertainty about whether the student should contact primary care or a student health clinic. In addition, there is also uncertainty about what the student health clinic's responsibilities are and what the primary care clinic's. SFS believes that the student health clinic's preventive function and complementary role to primary care must be clarified by determining the function of the student health clinic by the state.
SFS also believes that the lack of collaboration is so serious that the government and parliament should actively promote collaborative efforts between these parties to a greater extent. This collaboration between the universities' student health clinics, student unions and the respective region/county council should be developed so that students who are unwell are not stuck between authorities and institutions waiting for their proper care.
However, health care can also act preventively. The preventive work of student health clinics, healthcare and universities is an important key to reducing the need to seek help at all. What is important are measures that strive in various ways to build good health. SFS shared its views on students' rights to health insurance and sick leave in the consultation response to Increased security for students who become ill (SOU 2018:9), where SFS, among other things, supported the possibility of part-time sick leave and that responsibility for rehabilitation be clarified. In the response, we also advocated that students should have a maximum of seven waiting days and that all proposals should also include students who do not receive study funding. SFS agreed with the investigation's assessment that the higher education institutions have the responsibility for study-oriented rehabilitation and that the health and medical services have the responsibility for medical rehabilitation. Since the responsibility is divided, we proposed that the medical and study-oriented parts be coordinated in the manner proposed in New Act on Coordination Efforts in Health and Medical Care (DS 2018:5) and that it should also apply to students.