Better health--but not for all: the Swedish Public Health Report, 1987.

This article is a summary of the Public Health Report submitted to the Swedish Parliament in 1987. Health development, especially that of underprivileged groups, is regarded as an indicator of the quality of social and economic development of the country. Sweden is a very egalitarian country, but in spite of decreasing inequalities in living standards, the Report shows increasing inequalities in health. At the same time, the state has put restraints on health care spending, and the shift in the health care budget toward more primary care has stopped. This development seriously impairs the ability of the health and medical services to cope with inequities described in this Report.