Dentist Erik Figueroa Caballero:

"The Best of "I don’t have to commute."

Erik Figueroa Caballero, born and raised in Peru, then works as a general dental practitioner in Malå. Erik and his family are moved from Lund and enjoy the winter climate and the proximity to ski slopes and scooter skiing. And most of all, Erik doesn’t get to work.

Erik Figueroa Caballero worked for several years as a general dentist in his home country of Peru, before leaving Spain for further education. He opened his eyes to Sweden and moved to Skåne before he finally landed in Malå.

The Best of The moth is that there is no commute. From my home it takes three to four minutes to drive, if I walk it takes a maximum of twenty minutes. And since I like snow and cold, Malå fits me perfectly.

"As a dentist, I work primarily in general dental care. I do regular examinations, repairs and post therapy plans on all patients. We prioritize children and care patients, but I also treat adult patients when I have the opportunity.

ABBA, Slatan and Nobel

When Erik went to Spain to educate himself widely, he learned new languages and discovered that there were several good training courses in Sweden.

"The only thing I knew about Sweden was ABBA, Slatan and the Nobel Prize," says Erik, who nevertheless felt a draw to the cold country up north.

Said and done, Erik came to Sweden and worked as a local caregiver before he had to return to Peru according to the Swedish Migration Agency’s requirements for a permanent residence permit. Back in Sweden, he studied Swedish for five years before being approved for Swedish dental identification. Erik’s first dentist service was at the Folktandvården in Kalmar, which offered attractive pay for dentists.

"I woke up to my family in Lund for 15 months, it was wearable in the long run.

Västerbotten searched for dentists

Erik got to think about, found a new job in Skåne, but wasn’t happy with the pay and still had to commute two hours each day.

"I had heard that Västerbotten and Norrbotten had a lack of dentists, and when I talked to my family about this, they were positive. I knew there was snow and darkness here that I like. I found this service in Malå and thought why not?

Erik did not want to leave his wife and daughters in Skåne, but after talking to his new boss, his wife was helped to find jobs in health care. In the autumn, the migration laser went to Malå and Erik has now worked on his new dental service at the dental care centre since the end of September. The daughters attend preschool and school and have quickly made new friends. Erik’s wife is a trained nurse and started working in elderly care but wasn’t really happy there and has now started studying remotely to be admitted as a nurse.

My daughters are very happy here in Malå. My oldest has learned to ride cross-country skis and this weekend we went pulk in the hill and my daughters had to go scooters, it was awesome.

Erik appreciates his working hours and his pleasant and competent colleagues – both dental nurses, dental hygienists and executives.

I really enjoy my workplace. Since I work in the hinterland, I also work in other places, such as Sorsele and sometimes. Skellefteå where I jump in when needed. Patients are very grateful.

Major with everything so close

Erik believes that there are good opportunities for dentists to get jobs in the hinterland, because there are no dentists in several places, including in Sorsele.

There is also an empty dentist. Since I have difficulty with the adult patients, there would be a need for a dentist here.

"Malå is a nice place to live, even if it is smaller than big cities like Malmö. Here you don’t have to commute and there’s most of what you need, like school, grocery store and gym. Activities are somewhat limited, but there are still things to do for both children and adults, such as skiing or being in nature. To thrive, it is important to integrate into society.

In connection with the move, the family was assisted by the municipality’s influential pilots in acquiring an apartment.

"The woman in the municipality was very kind and helped us, I am very grateful.

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Text: Monica Wiksten Gideonsson
Photo: www.ricke.se