Organisation of the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs
The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs has some 260 employees, of which four are ministers and approximately 20 are political appointees.
Political leadership
Göran Hägglund is Minister for Health and Social Affairs and head of the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs. The Ministry has three other ministers: Minister for Public Administration and Housing Stefan Attefall, Minister for Social Security Ulf Kristersson and Minister for Children and the Elderly Maria Larsson.
In addition to the ministers, the political leadership includes four state secretaries. They are responsible for various policy areas directly under the ministers, and assist the ministers in planning, coordinating and monitoring the Ministry's activities.
The ministers and state secretaries have a staff of political advisers who assist them in policy work, providing background material, political assessments, planning and coordination, media contacts and correspondence.
Non-political appointees
The Ministry has a Director-General for Administrative Affairs and two Directors-General for Legal Affairs who, like the state secretaries, assist the ministers in planning, coordinating and monitoring the Ministry's activities. They ensure that matters at the Ministry are processed in a legally correct and uniform manner. The Directors-General for Legal Affairs also ensure that drafts are prepared for legislation and other statutes and regulations.
The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs has divisions for specific policy areas and divisions for support and coordination. Their task is to provide support to the political leadership.
Policy divisions
The policy divisions lay the groundwork for Government decisions. This includes working on government bills, budget and governance issues concerning government agencies, and development work in the form of inquiries of their own, serving on other inquires, etc.
Divisions for support and coordination
The Legal Unit deals with issues of a legal nature and matters that concern laws and other statutes, reviews the way the Ministry prepares various matters, and is responsible for public procurement issues.
The other divisions deal with support and coordination of cross-divisional issues, EU and international issues, the central government budget and administration. They also work with analysis and research issues, internal budget, personnel issues, and external and internal information.
