Sweden’s newly appointed Minister for Health, Elisabet Lann, collapsed onstage during a live press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 9.
The incident happened while Lann, 48, and other government officials, including Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Christian Democrats party leader Ebba Busch, were taking questions from journalists. Lann slowly fell forward as she listened to another official speaking in the room, as seen in footage from SESVT shared by CBS News.
@cbsnews During her first day on the job, Sweden’s health minister collapsed as she was giving a news conference on Tuesday. Elisabeth Lann was taken out of the room but was able to return after a few minutes. Lann later explained she had a drop in blood sugar. #health #sweden ♬ original sound – cbsnews
As she became unconscious, she fell forward and took down the translucent podium with her. The other politicians and a few journalists came to her side to assist her.
Government security then assisted her, and she was able to return to the conference. Upon her arrival, she said she fell due to a “blood sugar drop,” per SVT.
“This was not exactly a normal Tuesday, and this is what can happen when you have a blood sugar drop,” she said.
The politician later left the room, but she returned a few minutes later, according to SVT.
It hasn’t been reported if Lann, who did not appear to be seriously injured, received medical attention.
Lann’s fall occurred on the first day of her new position as Minister for Health. On Monday, Sept. 8, her predecessor, Acko Ankarberg Johansson, resigned.
Before her new position, Lann previously served as a municipal councilor in Gothenburg beginning in 2019. She is a member of the Christian Democrats. Lann has a master’s degree in peace and development studies and political science, per her LinkedIn page.
She also previously worked as deputy director of the Cabinet Office and participated in the Health Care Responsibility Inquiry.
Ankarberg Johansson, was the Minister for Health for three years. She began working for the Swedish Christian Democratic Party in 1986, per her Sept. 8 announcement.