Healthcare in Finland
The prevention of diseases and other types of health promotion have been the main focus of Finnish healthcare policies for decades.
[2] An example of early treatment facilities for tuberculosis and leprosy was a hospital on the island of Själö (or Seili in Finnish) which was established on the 1624 and run by the church.
[3] Consisting of six patient beds in a simple wooden building, it nonetheless marked the first step toward the modern Finnish medical system.
[2] Mainly due to the poor hygiene, famine, and poverty, the most common causes of death in the mid-19th century consisted of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, dysentery and typhoid fever.
[citation needed] While the number of hospitals increased rapidly from the late 19th century onward, it was still uncommon to be treated in one.
Due to the lack of service providers outside cities, it was suggested that municipalities establish local hospitals for their citizens.
[2] The decision to establish publicly funded hospitals can be considered the base of the current model of modern health care in Finland.
He has also contributed to the development of nursing education, pharmacy industry and public awareness over health issues.
These councils are planned to take over the previous work from the municipalities, to organize the healthcare and welfare related services in their respective areas.
For example, due to public health interventions and progress in medical care, there has been a remarkable improvement in life expectancy over the past couple of decades.
[10] Finland is considered successful particularly in regards to specialized medical care and the coverage of its screening and vaccination programs.
Finland has a very comprehensive screening program for breast cancer where 84% of women, aged 50 to 69 years, annually take part.
[10] Lower fertility rates and an aging population, due to increased life-expectancy,[11] brings new challenges to the Finnish health care system.
[13] According to the Euro health consumer index, which placed it in fourth position in its 2015 survey, Finland is a leader in value-for-money healthcare.
[14] The Government decides on general national strategies and priorities and proposes bills to be discussed by the parliament.
Some part of the costs incurred in the use of private medical providers can be reclaimed from the government social insurance institution KELA but this is never 100%.
They also have a right to collect user fees, and receive state subsidies if their tax levy is not adequate for providing the public services required, based on the demographic factors on their area.
Regional and university hospitals are financed by federations of participating municipalities, often using the diagnosis-related group system.
The share of public spending in Finland was, however, lower than in all other Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) where it exceeds 80%.
[23] Although high user fees may cause a barrier to use the private sector services as most is paid for out of pocket, a significant share of the cost is reimbursed by the Social Insurance Institution (SII) KELA.
Employers are obliged by law to provide occupational healthcare services for their employees, as are educational establishments for their students and staff.
The NHI also partially reimburses occupational healthcare costs for services delivered to employees, but not to dependents.
[12] Additional voluntary health insurance has a very marginal role in the Finnish system and is mainly used to supplement the reimbursement rate of NHI.
Efforts are underway to create a common, national structure for communication between patients and providers over the internet.
Other key objectives are to develop HTA methodological training and strengthen its related research in Finland.
[29] As per to the principle of the universal coverage, immigrants who live in Finland permanently are entitled to all the same health services as the Finnish people.
The service covers special child healthcare, maternity clinics and specialist medical care etc.
Equity is highly valued in Finland and the law provides same rights for all citizens, including in healthcare.
The use of antibiotics unnecessarily has been reduced to promote health and prevent an increase in antimicrobial resistance of the population in Finland.
Comparing Finland's antibacterial use with international data, the country emerges as the least common to consume these types of drugs.
