Sunderby Hospital

Sunderby Hospital (Swedish: Sunderby sjukhus) is a hospital located in Södra Sunderbyn, Norrbotten County, Sweden. Managed by Region Norrbotten, it has approximately 380 beds and 2,500 employees. It operates an emergency department with a helipad in close proximity, and the busiest maternity ward north of Uppsala.

The hospital was constructed to replace two separate hospitals in Luleå and Boden, and inaugurated on 1 September 1999. A program was introduced in 2011 to train medical students at Sunderby. It was named the second-best medium-sized hospital in Sweden by Dagens Medicin for 2012. However, the hospital has also faced scrutiny for staffing and bed shortages, as well as alleged issues with patient safety.

Due to rising costs and other issues with infrastructure, the idea of merging Luleå Hospital with Boden Hospital gained momentum in the 1980s. After political debate, Sunderby Hospital was ultimately built in Södra Sunderbyn (between Luleå and Boden).^[1] The final complex had a floor area of 78,000 m² (840,000 sq ft), and was built for 1.6 billion SEK.^[2] It was inaugurated on 1 September 1999, in a ceremony attended by Queen Silvia.^[1]

An April 2003 strike by the Municipal Workers' Union led to the cancellation of non-essential surgeries at Sunderby.^[3] In January 2011, the hospital's telecommunications was affected by an unknown person cutting their fibre-optic cable.^[4] They also began accepting medical students to a program at the hospital in 2011.^[5] In October 2012, they began construction on a patient hotel.^[6] It opened on 1 September 2014.^[7] The same year, there was a boil-water advisory due to a broken pipe.^[8] The Health and Social Care Inspectorate (IVO) criticised Sunderby's emergency department in 2018, alleging risks to patient safety.^[9]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, psychiatric triage was moved outside to a tent organised by the Swedish Armed Forces.^[10] Much of Norrbotten's COVID PCR testing took place at Sunderby's laboratory.^[11] The hospital added more parking spaces during the pandemic due to increased private vehicle use.^[12]

The director of Region Norrbotten, Anna-Stina Nordmark Nilsson, resigned in 2022 after being asked to step down in an open letter by 176 doctors published in Norrbottens-Kuriren. A major point of contention was the region's decision to fly 200 patients to Stockholm for surgery.^[13] The hospital was threatened with a 10 million SEK fine by IVO in 2022, after the organisation found waiting times in the emergency department to be too long.^[14] In the autumn of 2023, Region Norrbotten announced the hospital would be renovated at a cost of 740 million SEK, although major shortages of staff and beds were also noted.^[15]

The hospital has approximately 380 beds and 2,500 employees. They have the busiest maternity ward north of Uppsala.^[16] Sunderby and Gällivare Hospital have the only maternity facilities in Norrbotten County.^[17] Sunderby had a new helipad inaugurated on 18 November 2021, in closer proximity to the emergency department compared to the previous one. This change was estimated to save thirty minutes per patient transport.^[18]

Besides medical care, the hospital also has other amenities. Its kitchen prepares and delivers approximately 31,000 meals per day.^[19] There is a hospital chapel, as well as a silent reflection room which is open 24/7.^[20] The on-site patient hotel can accommodate up to 140 people.^[7]

Sunderby Hospital station is an accessible train stop on the Main Line Through Upper Norrland, connecting it to Luleå, Boden, Haparanda, Kiruna, and Umeå.^[21]

It was named the second-best medium-sized hospital in Sweden by Dagens Medicin for 2012.^[22]

• List of hospitals in Sweden