Sweden's Health Minister Elisabet Lann on Tuesday (Sep 9) collapsed mid-sentence during a live press conference, just days after being appointed to the cabinet. Footage of the event that has now gone viral shows Lann standing beside Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson when she suddenly leaned forward, fell onto the lectern, and hit the floor. Journalists and colleagues rushed to help, with Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch placing her in the recovery position before she was carried out. The briefing was immediately cancelled.
Lann, who replaced Acko Ankarberg Johansson as health minister recently, has previously served on the investigation team that reviewed whether Sweden's healthcare system could be fully nationalised. Before collapsing, she had warned of long waiting times in the system, saying: "Swedish healthcare is of high quality; the main issue is the long waiting times. We must transition to equitable healthcare. It is clear that we must strengthen government control."
"It is not worthy of a welfare state that so many people are waiting for healthcare," she added as reported by European news portal Euractiva.
Clips of the incident spread quickly online. One user wrote, "I am hopeful that this is just a case of her locking her legs when standing too long, or dehydration(which is what they will ultimately say it is)," adding, "However, I have eyes. Stuff like this is happening a lot. Isn't it."
"You already know the answer. It starts with a V," alleged another, referring to Covid-19 vaccines. In fact, the maximum number of people in comments seemed to be pointing a finger at Covid vaccinations.
However, later, Lann herself explained what happened. "This was not exactly a normal Tuesday, and this is what can happen when you have a blood sugar drop," she told reporters, assuring the public of her recovery. However, netizens have their own theory.
