in content lists or on the content page.During its operations, the Health Care Programme has sought and prepared new solutions for improving health care services. As the programme advanced, it became increasingly clear that in addition to individual actions, health care development requires in-depth structural changes. In order to meet the demanding objectives and to initiate change, the programme closely cooperated with the key actors in the sector.
When the programme was launched, society’s major challenges were seen to include the ageing of the population, the growing numbers of people with long-term illnesses, and the continuous increase of health care costs. The sufficiency of resources and growing needs had become the biggest issues in health care. It dealt with how to make ends meet and how to best make the existing health care capacity serve the population’s health needs and provide easy access to high quality services effectively and fairly.
Hannu Hanhijärvi, Executive Director of Sitra’s Health Care Programme, says that the challenges were, and still remain, mainly unresolved. However, being an independent actor, Sitra is in a key position to address questions central to the growth of the Finnish economy and the well-being of its citizens.
“The allocation and distribution of the health care services with the most impact require extensive cooperation. We started looking for a direction for changes with the starting point of improved services and making the operations in the sector more effective. By simultaneously improving productivity and quality, resources could be made available for developing new, more effective and customer-oriented health services,” says Hanhijärvi.
Based on several cooperative projects, studies, and experimental projects, it was found in the programme that it is necessary to take a stronger approach to care need assessment in basic health care. Care should be increasingly allocated on the basis of the intended care results, while considering whether the provided care really results in improved health. At the same time, new technologies should be extensively utilised in order to improve transparency and productivity. The aim was also to empower customers by supplying them with tools for self-treatment and increased freedom of choice.
The Finnish health care system is at the initial stage of its long evolutionary process. The programme has contributed to promoting a process of change, the final effects of which are still to be seen. What kind of progress will be taken towards reform in the work distribution of basic health care taking place on the basis of assessing the need for care? Will it be possible to distribute treatment methods like TERVA in managing chronic illnesses? How will value-based occupational health care improve well-being at work and reduce premature retirement? How will change management succeed? Will a consensus be reached on the progress of electronic systems and services, and related organising responsibilities? How can new business, including international business, be introduced to the sector?
Clarifying the roles with respect to ordering and providing services is one of the main issues for operational development. The effectiveness can also be increased by decreasing the care layers and by more closely integrating social services with health care services. Better utilisation of technology in health care still requires extensive national investment decisions and systematic management of funding cooperation.
The law reforms in health care and social legislation under preparation will have an essential impact on the future of Finnish health care. It is important that the parties in charge of providing the services establish a clear joint vision of the future of health care. This vision will be outlined at the Future Health Care seminar in Helsinki, arranged in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health on 18 February.