Funny. In Sweden, right now, the government has all the hospitals agree to this “guarantee of service” which means when you seek non-emergency care, you must be guaranteed to see a doctor within 7 days. And if the doctor sees it is needed, he will refer you to a specialist, and you must be seen within 90 days. Then if treatment is needed, you must be treated within 90 days.

Nice, but, the hospitals can’t meet that arrangement, so hospitals are quietly asking their doctors not to issue referrals - that way they get out of the 7-90-90 agreement, and the heavy fines imposed on the hospitals if they do not fill them.