Sweden and the new Olympic discipline Digitalization

Digital inclusion Digitalization Welfare technology

I'm too old to get upset, I usually think. Especially when I actually do get upset. Like the other day, when I listened to yet another amazingly visionary and insightful talk about how great our society could be if we just got a little better at using the welfare technology that is actually available. Not in the future, but here and now.

What is there to be upset about, you might be thinking? I will allow myself, as the mature man I am, to use a sports reference:

Imagine that digitalization is our new Olympic sport. Within this sport, we as a nation are investing heavily in distance eHealth: According to the Government and SALAR, Sweden should win gold by 2025. That is, to be the best in the world at using the opportunities of digitization in order to:

  • facilitate the achievement of good and equitable health and well-being; and
  • develop and strengthen own resources for increased independence and participation in society

That's fine, bold goals are good and we have won gold before. But what are our chances in reality? Has a winning national team been selected - or any team at all? Who is the national team coach and trainer? From what we have seen so far, there is some uncertainty about who will have which of these roles, and even then it starts to feel a little shaky.

It is possible that we have someone who has at least said that he has the ambition to be the one who holds the Digitalization branch together as a whole. Or perhaps at least to describe what our strategy for getting past the qualification for the Olympics should look like. But when it comes to the specific branch of eHealth - which we are investing heavily in - it becomes very unclear. Responsibility for remote eHealth lies within both health and medical care, and the various parts of social services. Who will dare/be allowed/be able to step forward and put on the leadership suit, pick the right team and act as coach? Do these conditions even allow Sweden to have ONE team?

Looking at the competition we will face globally, we can only say that it commands respect. Countries like Australia, the US and China have already qualified and are in the process of selecting their teams - with many qualified eHealth players to choose from.

Sweden has that too, admittedly. There have long been a number of top players in the business community who would easily fit into a world-class national eHealth team even today. But players without coaching, encouragement, investors and sponsors who dare to invest in new forms of training, arenas and equipment easily lose in competence - or go abroad.

Sweden didn't do so well in the last World Cup, even though we had Zlatan. Iceland did better, with no fixed stars on the pitch. Many people probably agree with me that the most likely explanation for that is leadership. What if we could learn from that, instead of just sitting in the stands and booing or on the TV couch and swearing. Not only when it comes to football, but also when it comes to digitalization and welfare technology. We have every chance of winning the gold medal in the eHealth category if digitalization were a real Olympic sport.

If only we could make sure:

  • come together around a common vision of where we are going
  • have a clear common set of rules on how to run the game!