The study period entails factors such as stress and uncertain living conditions that can lead to a need for student health care. Sometimes the disease 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 erosion in the education budget, the funds for student health clinics in the country are reduced at the same time as the need for the clinics increases and especially for students with stress-related problems. In the Budget Bill 2020, 25 million has been invested in student health until 2021. It is a welcome investment in the right direction, but more work is required.
SFS considers that a student health clinic may not charge fees from students. The activities of student health clinics must also not be reduced as a consequence of higher education institutions being forced to save. It is also important that a good national standard for the activities of student health clinics is established, so that the students' well-being is guaranteed, regardless of the choice of place of study or education.
When a student becomes ill, it is unclear today whether the student should turn to primary care or a student health clinic. In addition to this, there is also uncertainty for the student health clinic as to what is their responsibility and that of primary care. SFS believes that the student health clinic's preventive function and complementary role towards primary care must be clarified by the state establishing the student health clinic's function.
SFS also believes that the lack of collaboration is so serious that the government and the Riksdag should actively promote collaboration efforts between these parties to a greater extent. This collaboration between the higher education institutions' student health clinics, student unions and the respective region / county council should be developed so that students who feel bad do not get stuck between authorities and institutions while waiting for their proper care.
Healthcare, on the other hand, can also act preventively. The preventive work of student health clinics, healthcare and higher education institutions is an important key to reducing the need to seek help at all. The important thing is measures that in various ways strive to build good health. SFS communicated its views on students' right 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, endorsed the possibility of part-time sick leave and that the responsibility for rehabilitation is clarified. In the answer, we also advocated that students should have a maximum of seven qualifying days and that all proposals should also include those students who do not receive study grants. SFS agreed with the inquiry's assessment that the higher education institutions have the study-oriented rehabilitation responsibility and that the health service has the medical rehabilitation responsibility. As the responsibility is divided, we proposed that the medical and study-oriented part be coordinated in such a way as proposed in New law on coordination efforts in health and medical care (DS 2018: 5) and that it should also apply to students.