A good life
Live well in Västra Götaland
Good health and work are important elements in a good life. As are access to education, good communications and culture. The seas and lakes must be healthy and the air that we breathe must be clean.
Region Västra Götaland’s assignment is to contribute to a thriving Västra Götaland which is a good place to live and work. It must be a good place for future generations to grow up in.
Region Västra Götaland is governed by democratically elected politicians and with just over 50,000 employees is one of Sweden’s biggest employers.
It is tasked with offering good healthcare and dental care and providing the prerequisites for good public health, a rich cultural life, a good environment, jobs, research, education and good communications. All together, these provide a foundation for sustainable growth in Västra Götaland.
Together with its 49 municipalities, trade and industry, organi sations and academia, Region Västra Götaland drives develop ment with Västra Götaland’s best interests as its objective.
Helsingfors Stockholm Köpenhamn Oslo Göteborg Strömstad Dals-Ed Bengtsfors Åmål Mellerud Färgelanda Munkedal Tanum Sotenäs Lysekil Uddevalla Vänersborg Grästorp Trollhättan Lilla Edet Orust Tjörn Stenungsund Kungälv Ale Partille Mölndal Härryda Lerum Alingsås Vårgårda Essunga Vara LidköpingGötene Skara Falköping Herrljunga Borås Bollebygd Mark Svenljunga Tranemo Ulricehamn Tidaholm Hjo Skövde Tibro Mariestad Töreboda Karlsborg Gullspång Skagerack Vänern Vättern Kattegatt Göteborg Öckerö
Region Västra Götaland • Region Västra Götaland was formed in 999 by merging Skara- borg, Älvsborg and Bohus county councils and parts of the City of Göteborg.
• One of Sweden’s two popularly elected regions. • Responsible for healthcare and medical treatment. • Responsible for growth and development matters. • Operating costs amount to approx. SEK 40 bn.
• Approx. 50,000 employees. Västra Götaland • .5 million inhabitants. • 49 municipalities.
• 00 km long and 50 km wide. • The largest city is Göteborg. • The region has the largest port in Scandinavia.
• Sweden’s leading region for industry and transportation.
How Region Västra Götaland is run
When Region Västra Götaland was formed in 1999, it was also given responsibility for regional growth and development issues that had earlier been controlled by the Government through the county administrative boards. This means among other things greater influence over regional social issues, for example infrastructure and the environment.
The highest decisionmaking body in Region Västra Göta land is the Regional Council. Its 149 members are directly elected by the region’s inhabitants every four years. The Regional Council convenes eight times a year in Vänersborg, the main seat of the political organisation.
The Regional Executive Board consists of eight members from the majority parties and seven from the opposition, all fulltime politicians. They lead and coordinate Region Västra Götaland’s political activities. There are also committees and boards, for example healthcare committees, hospital and primary healthcare boards, a regional development committee, and en vironmental and cultural affairs committees.
Most of Region Västra Götaland’s central offices, secre tariats and common administrations can be found in its offices, Regionens Hus, in Vänersborg, Göteborg, Skövde, Mariestad, Uddevalla and Borås.
The central administration works at the Regional Executive Board’s secretariat. The highest official in Region Västra Göta land is the Chief Executive.
There are about ,800 politicians/elected representatives in Region Västra Götaland.
A meeting of the Regional Executive Board. Karin Engdahl (S) and Birgitta Adolfsson (FP).
Most of the members of the Regional Council have other jobs and devote their spare time to politics.
Where the money goes
Region Västra Götaland’s annual operating budget amounts to approximately SEK 40 billion. The major source of income is regional taxes. Primary healthcare, 15% Dental care, 5% Other healthcare and medical treatment, 2% Public transport, 6% Culture and education, 5% Regional development, 1% Hospital care, 66% Costs State grants, 12.3% Other operating revenues, 11.9% Patients’ charges, 3.0% Local authority equalisation, 7.5% Taxes, 65.3% Revenues 9
8 80% of Region Västra Götaland’s 50,000 employees are women and the average age is 4. 90% of Region Västra Götaland’s employees work in healthcare.
The Regional Council
on the radio and the web
Meetings of the Regional Council are broadcast on local radio. See your local newspaper for details. You can also follow the Regional Council’s meetings live or recorded on web TV.
Good Health
Region Västra Götaland is tasked with creating prerequisites for good health on equal terms.
The foundation of good public health is a society where people enjoy good living conditions, a good environment and are able to participate. Public health matters in Region Västra Götaland are the concern of the Public Health Committee in coopera tion with other civil society players. But public health work is a responsibility in all activities and operations within Region Västra Götaland.
Region Västra Götaland provides the inhabitants of Västra Götaland with the healthcare and medical treatment that they need. Region Västra Götaland operates 17 hospitals, 121 healthcare centres and 170 public dental care centres. Some care is provided by private centres under contract with Region Västra Götaland.
About 50 children are born in
Region Västra Götaland’s hospitals every day. Nine out of ten people in Västra Götaland consider their health to be good.
0
Little Melker was born at North Älvsborg County Hospital in Trollhättan at .44 pm on 8 March 008.
Primary healthcare is responsible for all healthcare and medical treatment that does not require the hospitals’ special resources. Primary healthcare is mainly provided through the healthcare centres. The healthcare centres treat the most common illnesses and often have a children’s clinic, a prenatal clinic and rehabil itation resources, for example physical therapy. They can also offer conversational support and advice through their welfare counsellors or help to stop smoking, lose weight or with other problems that affect health.
Public dental care has clinics for general dental care, special ised dental care and hospital dentistry. 95% of the children and
n Aquarobics for mothers-to-be in the rehab pool in Vänersborg.
n Birgit Jönsson being examined at Kyrkbyn healthcare centre
in Göteborg.
n Madelen Bynander receiving preventive dental care, so-called
dental care at a fixed cost, from dental hygienist Mirna Azzam at the public dental care clinic in Svenljunga.
n Anita Jakupovic, a biomedical analyst at Uddevalla Hospital,
performs an ultrasound scan on Karl Axel Johansson. ,500 children and adults visit
the public dental care services every day. Region Västra Götaland’s healthcare centres every day.,000 people are cared for at one of
approximately 50% of the adults in Västra Götaland are public dental care patients.
As of 2009, all Västra Götaland citizens are entitled to free dental care until the age of 21 in public or private dental care.
NU-Hospital Group Southern Älvsborg Hospital Skaraborg Hospital Sahlgrenska University Hospital Lidköping Hospital Falköping Hospital Alingsås Hospital Kungälv Hospital SU/Östra SU/Sahlgrenska SU/Mölndal SÄS Skene Strömstad
Hospital DalslandHospital
Lysekil
Hospital HospitalSkövde
Mariestad Hospital Frölunda Specialist Hospital SÄS Borås Uddevalla Hospital Northern Älvsborg County Hospital – NÄL
The Three Cities’ ambulance turning out, with nurses Hasse Zetterman and Jessica Råbe.
17 hospitals, 4 hospital groups
Approximately ,500 visits are made to Region Västra Götaland’s hospitals every day.
Several of Region Västra Götaland’s 17 hospitals provide both emergency and planned treatment in a number of specialised fields. In order to maintain a high level of quality and safety, emergency treatment is concentrated to certain
hospitals. Other hospitals specialise in planned care and have developed profiles of their own.
Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SU, is the largest hospital in Northern Europe and is responsible for specialised diagnos tics and treatment. SU collaborates closely with the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and is responsible for the clinical training of nurses and doctors.
The central laundry in Alingsås handles 40 tons of linen every day, mainly from the healthcare services.
4 5
Angered Local Hospital will be completed in 0.
Care Portal – .se/vgregion
Region Västra Götaland’s care portal provides information about healthcare and medical treatment and guides users to appropriate care.
The portal contains information about: • finding the right care service.
• illnesses and symptoms, examinations and treatments. • selfcare.
• patients’ rights, charges, laws and regulations.
There is also the possibility to book visits to the doctor, renew prescriptions and ask a caregiver questions.
A heart operation at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. New methods mean that a transplant can now be avoided in some cases.
Approximately ,00 heart operations are carried out
at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Göteborg every year. stem cells which can be used to cure diseases like leukaemia.Sahlgrenska has Sweden’s first biobank for umbilical blood,
Approximately 80,000 people of working age in Västra Götaland have some form of disability.
n Elvira Kivi enjoys a latte at a
pave-ment café. The West Swedish Tourist Board maintains a database of how cafés, etc. function for guests with disabilities at www.vastsverige.com.
n Claes helps Hugo to adjust his
wheel-chair at the Medical Aids and Appliances Centre in Mölndal.
A good life for everyone
Region Västra Götaland helps people with disabilities to take part in society, have the opportunity to influence their situation and live a good life. Region Västra Götaland shall set an example as regards accessibility, for example by producing adapted in formation and ensuring that premises and places to visit are accessible to people with disabilities.
Region Västra Götaland also provides services such as habilita tion, interpreting, audiology, an eye clinic and a medical aids and appliances centre.
Approximately 90 hours of interpreter services
are provided every day. 9
bioenergy, mainly in the form of biogas but also solar energy and wind power.
Being a large organisation it is important to be a forerunner. Our internal environmental effort includes, for example, pro curing environmentfriendly products and reducing the environ mental impact of chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Since 2004, all cars purchased have been ecocars.
www.vgregion.se/miljo
The environment
Work on environmental questions has high priority in order to promote sustainable develop ment in Västra Götaland. Region Västra Göta land has the largest regional environmental budget in the country.
The externally oriented environmental effort involves the work itself and contributing ideas, support and networks. This is done in close cooperation with local authorities, trade and industry and other players.
The “Smart Energi” climate change dialogue is a major climate initiative being pursued by Region Västra Götaland and the 49 local authorities. The goal is for Västra Götaland to be independent of fossil energy by 2030.
Region Västra Götaland supports the market for energyefficient building, including passive
houses, and is investing in the development of Viveca Reimers, coordinator of environmentally adapted procurement and purchasing, filling up one of Region Västra Götaland’s biogas cars.
0 Over one third of all energy in Sweden
Together with the local authorities, Region Västra Götaland owns Västtrafik AB that is responsible for public transport in the form of buses, trams, trains and ferries. Good public transport improves accessibility to work and education and is a prerequisite for sustainable development. It is especially im portant to create possibilities for the region’s citizens to reach other places inside and outside the region quickly, safely and in environmentfriendly ways.
www.vgregion.se/regionutveckling
Infrastructure and communications
Västra Götaland is Sweden’s foremost region for transporta tion and industry and a transit zone for freight from the whole
of Scandinavia. Göteborg has the largest port in Scandinavia.
Region Västra Götaland works to improve traffic systems, infrastructure, IT networks and public transport in Västra Götaland. One of its main tasks is to persuade the Government, Parliament and national traffic agencies to increase invest ment in better roads. Region Västra Götaland also contributes
funds to enable roads to be upgraded sooner than was planned by national authorities.
n Region Västra Götaland’s advance
funding of road from Borås to Kråkered has allowed through traffic to be moved out of the residential areas. Approximately ,400 Västtrafik travel cards are recharged and
,00 people buy a ticket at a reduced price every day.
n A Regina type train at Skövde station.
More than 580,000 journeys are made by train, tram, bus and ferry in Västra Götaland every day.
Among other things, this includes supporting cooperation on research and development between universities/colleges and companies in areas that are important for Västra Götaland.
International work
In order to follow and influence decisionmaking in the EU, Region Västra Götaland is a member of international organisations and net works. Region Västra Götaland also participates in EU programmes and projects.n The East Indiaman Götheborg is
used as a platform for tourist infor-mation, encounters leading to new contacts, and cultural exchanges.
Flourishing trade and industry
If ideas are to grow and develop into healthy, profitable compa nies, they need good breeding grounds. Region Västra Götaland works for example with developing entrepreneurship by inter esting young people in enterprise, supporting innovations and providing financing of different kinds to support companies.
Region Västra Götaland strengthens and develops areas that are important to Västra Götaland’s trade and industry, such as biomedicine and health, vehicles, energy, films and the experience sector.
n Film i Väst, owned by Region Västra
Götaland, attracts both Swedish and inter-national companies to Trollhättan. The photograph was taken during the filming of Josef Fare’s film Zozo.
n Region Västra Götaland strengthens the
prerequisites for the automotive industry in Västra Götaland by stimulating research and development in vehicle safety. If as many women as men started up companies, ,000 more
companies would be established in Västra Götaland every year. 5
in the level of educational attainment. Our own educational centres are important in pushing development forward. Region Västra Götaland runs seven rural studies colleges and six folk high schools.
Education and competence
One key to competitive, sustainable prosperity is welleducated citizens. Together with universities, university colleges and other education providers, Region Västra Götaland analyses and adapts tertiary education to the needs of working life. Another important area of focus is to reduce the differences
n Lorraleine J - Ramos and Muhamed Wehliye are studying
at Göteborgs Folkhögskola in Bergsjön.
n The rural studies colleges have courses in animal care,
agriculture, horsekeeping, forestry, horticulture, hunting and wildlife management. The photograph is from Uddetorp rural studies college in Skara.
Sötåsen rural studies college has a biogas plant where
Culture for the whole of
Västra Götaland
Culture is important to the individual’s quality of life, but it is also important to regional develop ment and growth.
Since the start, Region Västra Götaland has invested consciously in culture and has the largest regional culture budget in the country.
It is important that all inhabitants of Västra Götaland have access to cultural experiences. The Göteborg Opera therefore has premises in both Göteborg and Skövde and tours extensively throughout the region.
The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra gives performances at Vara Concert Hall when not performing at Gothenburg Concert Hall. A performance at the Göteborg Opera House. A performance on the main stage at Göteborg Opera House
attracts an average audience of ,09 people. Göteborg Botanical Garden every day.Approximately ,500 people visit 9
To give artists and cultural workers better prerequisites to work in Västra Götaland, cultural scholarships are awarded and there are also possibilities for international exchanges.
Alongside the major public cultural institutions other regional organisations also work to promote cultural life. At Kultur i Väst, consultants work within different cultural areas, among other
n Forsviks bruk.
n World Wide Orchestra.
n Läckö Castle.
n Handicraftsman Kristinn Petursson makes things out of steel wire.
A performance by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra at
Gothenburg Concert Hall is enjoyed by an average audience of 94. Region Västra Götaland’s museums every day.,000 people visit one of
things with projects that aim to make the region’s cultural life accessible to children, young people and people with disabilities.
Culture is also about learning. Folk high schools and educa tional associations are important resources in lifelong learning, but other cultural institutions, for example museums and thea tres, must also be assets in the region’s inhabitants’ development and education.
Tourism
Experiences and events are important for creating an attractive Västra Götaland and tourism creates jobs. The West Sweden Tourist Board, owned by Region Västra Götaland, develops and markets Västra Götaland in cooperation with, among others, the local authorities and tourism companies.
Information about almost all sights and attractions in Västra Götaland can be found on the common website.
www.vastsverige.com
Guest nights in Västra Götaland
total some .9 million a year.
n Hova medieval week.
n Rock carving, Vitlycke
museum in Tanum.
The rock carving area in Tanum is one of Sweden’s 4 world heritage sites.
The Västra Götaland Vision – the good life
is the common vision and strategy for development in the whole of Västra Götaland. The vision was devised by many players with the aim of strengthening Västra Götaland as an attractive and competitive region. A good life for the inhabitants of Västra Götaland includes: • good health • work and education • security, community and participation in society • a good environment • meeting children’s and young people’s needs • sustainable growth • a rich cultural life.
Region Västra Götaland’s
mission statement
Our assignment is to contribute to a good life for the people of Västra Götaland – for health and security in everyday life and a flourishing Västra Götaland now and in the future. We have a responsibility to attend to both the individual’s needs and the collective needs of the region’s citizens.
Healthcare: • Alingsås Hospital • Angered Local Hospital • Frölunda Specialist Hospital • Kungälv Hospital • The NU Hospital Group • Primary Healthcare • Sahlgrenska University Hospital • Skaraborg Hospital • Southern Älvsborg Hospital • Public Dental Care • Disability administration • Schools and colleges: Billströmska folkhögskolan • The Biological Sciences College, Skara • Dalslands folkhögskola • Fristads folkhögskola • Gerlesborg School of Fine Art • Grebbestads folkhögskola • Göteborgs folkhögskola • Naturbruksgymnasiet Dingle • Naturbruksgymnasiet Nuntorp • Natur-bruksgymnasiet Sparresäter • NaturNatur-bruksgymnasiet Strömma • NaturNatur-bruksgymnasiet Svenljunga • Naturbruksgymnasiet Sötåsen • Naturbruksgymnasiet Uddetorp • Stenebyskolan • Vara folkhögskola • Culture: Bohuslän Museum • Nääs • Folkteatern Göteborg • Forsvik Industrial Monuments • Göteborg Museum of Art • The Natural History Museum in Gothenburg • The Göteborg Opera’s Skövde Stage • Göteborg City Museum • Göteborg City Theatre • Hemslöjd Västra Götaland • Kultur i Väst • Läckö Castle • Lödöse Museum • Musik i Väst • The Nordic Watercolour Museum • Västra Götaland Regional Library • Röhsska Museum • The Maritime Museum and Aquarium • Studio västsvensk konservering • Vara Concert Hall • Vitlycke museum • Museum of Västergötland • Industrial development:
Agroväst • Brewhouse Innovation • Chalmers Innovation • Connect Väst • Espira Tillväxtcenter • Framtidens Företag • Gothia Science Park • The School of Economics and • Commercial Law’s inte-grated centre for growth (HIT) • Innovatum • Lindholmen Science Park • Sahlgrenska Science Park • Ung Företagsamhet • The environment: Västkuststiftelsen/Stiftelsen Västsvenska • Friluftsområden • Göteborg Botanical Garden • Companies: Almi Företagspartner Väst AB • Dalslands kanalbolag • Film i Väst AB • The Göteborg Opera • Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra • Regionteater Väst AB • Sahlgrenska International Care AB • West Swedish Tourist Board • Västtrafik AB • Internal service and administration: Hälsan och arbetslivet (Occupational Health Services) • Regionarkivet (together with the City of Göteborg) • Regionservice (administrative centre, purchasing, aids and appliances, laundry, IT and meal service) • Västfastigheter
This is Region Västra Götaland
The institutions listed below are wholly owned, majority owned, or partly or wholly financed by Region Västra Götaland.
4 5
Contact information
Region Västra Götaland, Regionens Hus, 462 80 Vänersborg Telephone: +46 521 27 57 00, [email protected]
Photographers: Ibiz Reklambyrå • Thomas Harrysson • Thomas Foughman/Lucky Look bildbyrå • Sergio Joselovsky • Curt Warås • Björn Larsson Rosvall • Michael Malmborg • Ulf Nilsson/MIM-bild • Per-Anders Jörgensen/Memfis Film AB • Anna Jolfors • Mats Bäcker • Lisa Nestorson • Berit Thorburn
You can or der mor e copies of this br ochur e fr om: Adr
ess och Distributionscentrum, Dr
ottninggatan 1, 542 87 Mariestad
Telephone: + 46 501 620 84, Email: adr
ess.distributionscentrum@vgr
egion.se
Produced by the information department of the Regional Executive Board’
s secretariat and Ibiz Reklambyrå.
Printed by CELA Grafiska AB.
009.
For more information visit: www.vgregion.se