Finland and Russia strengthen cooperation in social and health sector

Finland and Russia aim to intensify their mutual collaboration in the area of social welfare and health care. Last November the two countries signed a memorandum of cooperation designed to achieve this. According to Ministerial Adviser Olli Kuukasjärvi, the agreement enables cooperation on legislation, a swifter response in the event of disease pandemics, and can make it easier to investigate cases of fraudulent medical practitioners, an issue which has been prominent in Finland in recent months.

Tackling the gender dimension of health inequalities

Women on average live six-and-a-half years longer than men. The discrepancy comes down to differences in lifestyles between men and women, particularly concerning smoking and drinking.

Services in Sámi language help safeguard Sámi culture

Numbering an estimated 75 000, the Sámi are Europe's only indigenous people. Some 9 000 Sámi live in Finland. The Sámi have had self-government within a homeland and language and cultural rights enshrined in the Finnish Constitution. But the preservation and promotion of Sámi culture remains a challenge. The Ministry of Education and Culture is currently preparing a programme to revitalize the Sámi language. The MSAH is also involved in this and in promoting services in Sámi language.

Upholding the Nordic welfare model

Much of the emphasis of the Finnish Presidency this year of the intergovernmental forum of the Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) focuses on strengthening the role of the Nordic countries in the management of climate change. On issues of social policy, the NCM will be dealing with the challenges posed by globalisation and the role of the Nordic welfare model. "The Nordic welfare model is an important common framework of values for equal services and opportunities," says Maria Waltari, Senior Officer at the MSAH.

Biobank Act sets new standards on research use of samples of human origin

The importance of biobanks, which store tissue and cell samples of human origin, in boosting innovative research, especially in the development of pharmaceuticals and to hone disease prevention strategies, is being increasingly appreciated at national, EU and other international levels. They are also used increasingly for broad epidemiological research on genetic and environmental causes of diseases.

Finnish municipalities obliged to improve preventive mental health services for the young

Efforts are being carried out in Finland to strengthen and develop preventive mental health services for children and the young. A key focus of these is the government decree, which fully takes effect from the beginning of 2011, and which encompasses the work of maternity and child health clinics, school and student health care and preventive health care.

The unemployed too need occupational health care

People who are unemployed easily get into a vicious circle: health gets weaker during unemployment and weakened working capacity impacts on getting work. A remedy is on the way, as Finland's new Health Care Act ensures that the unemployed are also given medical check-ups. "When unemployed people are brought within the sphere of preventive health care services, it is quicker to overcome obstacles to employment and periods of unemployment become shorter", says Ritva Partinen, Senior Officer at the MSAH Department for the Promotion of Welfare and Health.

Maintaining working capacity is everyone’s responsibility

"The maintenance of people's working capacity in Finland must not be "outsourced" to occupational health care but is the common responsibility of employees, employers, occupational health care, occupational safety, and public sector health care", says Kristiina Mukala, MSAH Ministerial Counsellor for Health Affairs. Mukala also stresses that it would be impossible to oversee the working capacity of everyone in employment. Working life nowadays needs to be more tolerant and flexible, so that all existing working capacity is used.

Health Care Act to upgrade municipalities’ health and welfare promotion

The Finnish government is drawing up a new Health Care Act, which in part will aim to make welfare and health promotion more closely linked to decision-making and financial and programme planning. The role of municipalities in Finland as promoters of health was the focus of the reform of the Primary Health Care Act in 2006. The same year quality recommendations on health promotion were prepared, and local authorities have already applied the models for action that it contained.

Areas of joint municipal organization for environmental health care

There are six laws to regulate and three ministries to guide environmental health care in Finland. "The working terrain is so multifaceted that it's hard for one person in a municipality to do it. That is why we have settled on joint municipal organization areas, where among other things office holders' specialization will ensure a variety of expertise and improve oversight and services," says Jari Keinänen, Director of the MSAH group on environmental health.

New health care act will not compromise on service availability

"The aim of the equal availability of health care services required by the Constitution will not be bargained with by the new health care act", says Jukka Mattila, Ministerial Counsellor for Health Affairs. The point of departure of the new law concerns the situation of clients and patients and improving treatment. The aim is to ensure this through the equal availability of services, giving clients the opportunity to choose where they are treated and by improving the quality of treatment and patient safety.

Standardized regional electronic archive system nationwide will improve quality of health care

MSAH Permanent Secretary Käri Välimäki has high expectations of the electronic data system for health care, which is being applied comprehensively in Finland. Its implementation will support efforts to strengthen primary health care and increase the options for selecting where treatment is carried out. It will also improve the rights of patients, reduce the duplication of medical tests and help with the follow up to treatment. "In optimal cases, the electronic data system will improve the quality and outcome of treatment while reducing costs," says Välimäki.

EU Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion increases awareness of problems and helps tackle causes of poverty

The EU's designation of 2010 as the year for combating poverty and social exclusion is increasing public awareness in Finland about the effects of poverty and the conditions of people living in poverty and social exclusion.
"In global terms there is little poverty in Europe, and in European terms poverty in Finland and the Nordic countries affects a relatively small part of the population. We've nevertheless plenty to do to realize the aims of the EU theme year", says Aune Turpeinen, MSAH Ministerial Counsellor, who chairs the Finnish national task force for the theme year.

Valvira improves systematic guidance for social and health sector

Two reforms to the supervision work of Finland's social and health sector took effect from the start of this year. The state provincial offices became regional state administrative agencies, and the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) expanded its tasks to cover supervisory and guidance work for the social sector. Changes in working procedure have also been introduced to facilitate the reforms.
"We need to move from retrospective supervision to systematic guidance. Current ways of doing things are pretty much the work of putting out fires. We tackle the defects we notice, but guidance needs to be further developed", says Marja-Liisa Partanen, Valvira's new Director General.

Towards a family leave system for the 2010s

The possibility for the parents of small children to take parental leave is an important part of Finnish family and population policy. From the beginning of 2010 paternal leave will be extended from four to six weeks. Consideration is now being given to the decisions on parental leave of the next government. In September, the MSAH established a working group on parental leave to deal with preparatory work on this. "Prolonging parental leave has come up possibly by earmarking leave for fathers," says the Ombudsman for Children Maria Kaisa Aula", who chairs the working group.

Disability policy programme involves all administrative sectors

The government disability policy programme, Vampo, is a strategy for the coming period designed to implement policy decisions concerning people with disabilities in Finland. The programme involves a wide range of measures to promote the equality and non-discrimination of people with disabilities.

"The MSAH is responsible for preparing the programme, but this work also involves all sectors that have an influence on disability issues", says MSAH ministerial adviser Aini Kimpimäki, who is one of the secretaries of the steering group responsible for the policy programme.

"The input of administrative sectors in preparing Vampo is as important as the policy programme's outcome."

Gender-sensitive budgeting improves the welfare of all

Under the government's budget for next year all ministries will assess the gender impact - or lack of it - of the budget for their administrative sector. "A gender sensitive budget improves the welfare of everyone, not only women", says Senior Officer Hanna Onwen-Huma of the MSAH's Equality Unit.

Ethics advisory to encompass social and health sectors in unison

Established in 1998, Finland's National Advisory Board on Health Care Ethics has until recently only dealt with ethical matters concerning health care and the status of patients. This has now changed, and the advisory, known by its Finnish acronym ETENE, is being expanded to cover social care.

"Many of the ethical questions concerning the social and health sectors are similar in nature. It's appropriate that they are dealt with by a common advisory," explains ETENE's General Secretary, Aira Pihlainen. "The difference is that in social care the perspective is generally broader than in health care."

Finnish municipalities to be obliged to upgrade child and youth preventive health care

For the most part Finland's decentralized system of social and health care is run by municipalities according to statutory regulations but also non-binding guidelines.

"Such guidelines", says MSAH Senior Officer Marjaana Pelkonen,  "are used when it comes to preventive health services for children and young people provided at maternity and child health clinics, and the school and student health care system."

These guidelines are to be strengthened according to a statute issued by the government at the end of May concerning maternity and child health clinics, school and student health care and preventive oral health care. The new measure will introduce statutory health examinations in maternity and child health clinics and in school and student health care.

New Medical Agency aims for greater efficiency, openness and collaboration

The arrangement of agencies dealing with the supply and control of medicines in Finland is being upgraded to meet changing demands. The result will be a new medicines agency.

"The importance and extent of drug therapy in healthcare is constantly growing", says MSAH Director General Päivi Sillanaukee. The new medicines agency will provide greater centralization in the job of authorization and supervision in the pharmaceuticals field.