Välkommen - Lara Sievers - till team Swecare

Det är full fart på kansliet, vi satsar på att förbättra vår hemsida, vår IT-miljö, kommunikationen och genomför dessutom en enkätundersökning där vi fördjupar oss i behoven hos våra medlemmar nu under Covid-19 och hur vi kan vara ett stöd på bästa sätt. Styrkan på Swecare har varit i minsta laget under våren då Mikaela lämnat för föräldraledighet, men den här veckan välkomnar vi Lara Sievers som förstärkning till teamet. Lara kommer närmast från EU:s civila krishanteringsinsats till Libyen där hon bland annat arbetade med politisk och strategisk rådgivning samt utvärdering av insatsens operationella mandat.

Under sin tid på Swecare kommer Lara bland annat ansvara för Mellanöstern och förstås arbetet med Expo2020. Hon har även fått kasta sig in i att sammanställa medlemsenkäten och med sin erfarenhet av rapportskrivande kommer det bli högst intressant läsning som planeras publiceras innan sommaren. Vi ser fram emot att introducera Lara i våra kommande möten med er medlemmar. Är ni nyfikna på Lara, finns här en kort intervju.

Berätta kort om dig?

Jag har varit utomlands i flera år där jag arbetade för EU och NGOs i Bryssel, Marocko, Tunisien och Irak. Senast arbetade jag för EU Delegationen till Libyen och för EU’s civila krishanteringsinsats i Libyen där jag var utsänd av Folke Bernadotteakademin. Tidigare läste jag en Bachelor i European Studies i Nederländerna och en Master i International Peace and Security i London. Jag är född i Tyskland och uppvuxen där samt på Österlen, där jag gärna tillbringar min sommarsemester.

Hur väl känner du till Swecare?
Jag är ny till Swecare men har flera kollegor och vänner som har haft olika arbetstillfällen med Swecare och har talat mycket gott om stiftelsen. Det ska bli spännande att vara en del av Swecare.

Hur känner du inför ditt uppdrag? Väldigt taggad! Jag ser fram emot att arbeta internationellt från ett svenskt perspektiv, dvs att främja internationalisering av just den svenska hälso- och sjukvårdssektorn. Framför allt idag, med Coronaviruset, känns detta uppdrag och Swecares arbete viktigare, men även mer utmanande, än någonsin.

Kort fakta om Lara Sievers

Bor: Hammarby Sjöstad
Familj: Föräldrar, 3 syskon, sambo
Utbildning: Bachelor i European Studies och Master i International Peace and Security, olika fristående kurser vid Lunds Universitet
Gör vid sidan av arbetet: En massa, kanske för mycket ibland. Läser arabiska, spelar piano och tennis, springer, läser böcker och skulle vilja fortsätta med att läsa franska och dansa tango
Lyssnar på: Mycket men favoriten just nu är Summer Wine, Nancy Sinatra och Lee Hazlewood
Läser: Stadserien av Per Anders Fogelström. Just nu läser jag den tredje boken, "Minns du den stad"
Hur många språk talar du? 7, om man ska räkna med spanska som jag läste på gymnasiet
Dold talang: att dansa salsa

Swecare in expert panel at The Nordic Conference on Sustainable Healthcare 2018

The annual event organized by Aktuell Hållbarhet and Nordic Center for Sustainable Healthcaregathered both attendees from Nordics and beyond with invited speakers from the US, UK and Israel. This year’s theme was on how suppliers with sustainable solutions reach their markets.

Because while the Nordics can boast a huge number of companies in this segment as was shown by Arvid Løken from Nordic Innovation (based on the yet unpublished results from a Menon report) there is some controversy whether this can be called a Nordic stronghold yet. The main reason being that revenues are not matching up to the potential sales, and while there is global demand of both sustainable Nordic turn-key solutions and Nordic sustainable products it has been a challenge to deliver upon these demands. So while the panel all agreed the Nordics is home to some frontline companies and the excellent products, as well as made progress in managing and investing in sustainability there is still work to be done.

So hopefully we will create a physical version of the virtual sustainable hospital in the made-up city of Grøneköpinki (presented at the conference obviously), and then also export the real physical version. A truly sustainable hospital filled with Nordic sustainable products doesn´t have to be an utopia.

Kenya & Tanzania: Exploring East Africa - Part I

Samarbete - Collaboration. A concept which sounds deceptively simple. The objective of this delegation trip was to take a limited number of Swedish companies (and in this case one institution) to Kenya and Tanzania in order to meet potential local collaborators with whom they can forge longlasting partnerships in order to expand, and/or establish, their presence in East Africa.

The delegation trip itself would not have come about without the close collaboration between Swecare Foundation and Business Sweden. After the phenomenal initial interest which surprised even us, it seemed that the trip might not even take place. We were obliged to wait for the political situation in Kenya to stabilize before we could confirm the program and bookings with our delegates. By this time, the uncertainty had caused a few of the interested actors to back out. Although we had always wanted a small delegation, one or two companies would not be enough to capture the interest of local partners, nor would it have been financially viable. It had to be lagom. But as is often the case, things have a way of working out at the last minute and we ended up with 15 people from seven Swedish companies participating. And the 19-23 November trip was quite the success.

Program Overview

Anna Jardfelt welcoming the delegation

The trip started with a short but extremely productive cocktail at the Swedish Residence in Nairobi on Monday, presided over by the Swedish Ambassador to Kenya, Anna Jardfelt, and the United Nations' Resident Coordinator, Siddarth Chatterjee. Networking had already started and meetings were arranged even before the program had properly begun. 

Representatives from the Kenyan Ministry of Health, the country manager of PharmAccess, and our own Hans Winberg from Leading Health Care spoke to a targeted Kenyan audience and the delegation during the morning seminar on Tuesday. The Swedish companies also got a chance to present themselves in order to clarify their vision and the types of partnerships they seek. The theme, loosely defined, was increasing efficiency through regional partnership and collaboration, with a focus on the most immediate healthcare challenges in East Africa.

As inspiring as talks were, what our delegation appreciated the most were the B2B meetings arranged in the afternoon. Keeping the group small meant that instead of the quick 10 minute chats one usually has during these sessions, our participants could spend up to 30 minutes on each meeting if it was going well. The value of such meetings cannot be overestimated. The key to successful collaborations often hinges on the unlikeliest of factors - do you actually get along? Do you enjoy the time you spend together? We all know that in our personal lives respect and affinity are the basis of all good partnerships, but we often dismiss this while making professional choices. Don't. Spend the time necessary to get to know each other. We hope and suspect that many left the day's events not only with business cards, but with potential friends.

Part of the delegation during the Coptic Hospital visit in Nairobi

Site visits in Nairobi took place on Wednesday before the evening flight to Dar es Salaam. The delegation received a warm welcome at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Kenyatta National Hospital, and Coptic Hospital. Most common requests:

• Longterm financing solutions for equipment
• capacity building & skill transfer
• local market presence

Our day in Dar es Salaam took the shape of a Road Show which started with a meeting with representatives from the Tanzanian Ministry of Health at the Swedish Embassy. This was a good lead for a number of companies in the delegation who felt that success in Tanzania would very much depend on the goodwill of the government as they crack down on corruption. This meeting was followed by site visits to Medical Stores Department, Muhimbili National Hospital, and Ocean Road Cancer Institute and ended with a reception hosted by the Ambassador of Sweden to Tanzania, Katarina Rangnitt, at her Residence.

Participating Companies

Much of the reason for the success of this delegation trip rests with the participants - a dedicated set of highly intelligent, passionate, and fun individuals. Thank you for coming!

• AstraZeneca - Health Heart Africa
• East Africa Technologies, Medtech, Pharmaceuticals, and Medical Supplies (EATMPS)
• Elekta
• HemoCue
• Karolinska Universitetssjukhus
• MedCardApps (MCA)
• Pansanté
• Systemair

Interested in learning more about our leads in East Africa? Email us and plan to join us in Rwanda and Uganda for Part II of this delegation, 19-22 March, 2018.