Letter from Malmö
Roro Wirlander Beydoun, 40, manages a pharmacy in downtown Örebro, a city of 160,000 people located 200 kilometers west of Stockholm. The pharmacy employs about 15 staff. Since March 1, Beydoun has dedicated one hour of his working time each month to fighting loneliness – his own, and that of his loved ones or his customers. In addition to continuing to pay his salary, the Apotek Hjärtat chain, which owns his pharmacy, gives him 1,000 Swedish kronor (about €90) to organize various activities.
11 employees from the group, which has 4,000 staff members in Sweden, joined this pilot project called “vanvard” (“caring for friends”) – a nod to the “friskvard” (“health care”) program that allows employers to fund sports activities for their employees. The idea emerged as part of an effort to tackle involuntary isolation, which the liberal-conservative government has declared a national cause for the duration of its term, allocating 300 million kronor (€27 million) annually since 2023.
“Every day, in our pharmacies across Sweden, we meet people who feel lonely and we see the consequences of this involuntary loneliness on their lives. Just as we would with other illnesses, we want to help fight it,” explained Monika Magnusson, head of Apotek Hjärtat. A study conducted by the Public Health Agency of Sweden in 2022 found that 24% of people affected by loneliness suffered from severe mental health disorders, and 28% had suicidal thoughts. With this project, Magnusson said, the pharmacy chain is aiming to raise awareness among its staff and among the wider public.
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