Helsinki hiring 137 new people to upgrade health services

Finnish capital using one third of Finland's "treatment guarantee" funding

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The City of Helsinki is making massive new investments in public health care in order to cope with its obligations under the "treatment guarantee" system that takes effect in March. The Finnish capital is spending about one third of all funding for the implementation of the new regulations.
      Under the treatment guarantee, patients are entitled to immediate service at municipal health care centres on weekdays, and professional personnel are required to make an assessment of of a patient's needs within three days. An assessment of the need for treatment in specialised care is to be made in three weeks, and the actual treatment for basic health care must be initiated no later than three months after the need for treatment has been established.
      According to Riitta Simoila, head of development at the City of Helsinki Health Centre, the greatest investment is in increased personnel.
     
"We have prepared for the treatment guarantee in three different ways", she says.
      "One is a clear increase in resources - 137 new positions." She also notes that the Health Centre has clarified the division of labour of doctors, public health nurses, nurses, dentists, and dental nurses.
      In addition, the Health Centre has upgraded its telephone technology.
      "The biggest change has been concentrating bookings for dental appointments in one location, so that only dental nurses answer the telephones", Simoila says.
     
Of the 137 new positions, 51 are in dental care, and 18 of these are for dentists. Simoila notes that in addition to hiring more personnel, the dental care service is also resorting to more subcontracting.
      Public health clinics will get 48 new workers, 16 of whom are doctors.
      On Thursday the City of Helsinki Health Centre opened 23 doctors' positions for applicants. Not all of the new posts have been opened for applications, because the Health Centre hopes to fill some of them through the flexible use of substitutes.
      Simoila said that the situation in filling doctors' posts has eased somewhat. In the autumn the shortfall of doctors was 4.1%, but it focused on certain health clinics.
      "We are hopeful that the positions can be filled."
     
The City of Helsinki has set aside EUR 43 million in its budget to meet the challenges of the treatment guarantee. Of this sum, EUR 25 million is to go to the Helsinki and Uusimaa Health Care District (HUS), and EUR 18 million is to go to the city's own health care services.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  No plans to restrict reimbursement of medical expenses for private health care (15.2.2005)
  Hospitals fear nurse shortage may make treatment guarantee impossible to implement (8.9.2004)

Helsingin Sanomat