Finnish schools flouting recommendations of public health care

Majority of school nurses are cruising between schools

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Research Professor Matti Rimpelä of the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES) notes that weakened school health care eventually tends to burden child welfare services.
      According to Rimpelä, rather than discuss problems with his or her own parents, a young person can find it easier to turn to a school nurse. However, the findings of a Helsingin Sanomat survey suggest that there are not enough nurses to go round.
     
Based on a recent survey conducted by Helsingin Sanomat, it is evident that the situation within school health care is worse than recommended in almost all large cities in Finland. In fact, almost all school nurses are in charge of more pupils than stipulated by the norms set by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
      HS sent a questionnaire to those officials of the eight largest cities in Finland who are responsible for school health care, asking each of them how they had organised the school health services in their city.
      The questions included the number of school nurses in each city, the existence of full-time school doctors in the city, and the amount of time the school nurses could give to each school. In addition, they were asked how often each pupil was scheduled for a medical checkup.
      While the norm set by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health states that the maximum number of pupils per school nurse is 600, the survey indicated that the average number in Kuopio is 900, and in Oulu 800.
     
However, the Ministry cannot intervene in the numbers of nurses, as since the beginning of the 1990s the municipalities have been able to decide themselves how their school health care services are arranged. After state monitoring and control was abolished, municipalities have cut back on their school health care services.
      Among the largest cities, only Helsinki has doctors working full-time in school health care. Furthermore, the practices of school health care seem to vary a lot in Finnish municipalities.
     
According to the respondents, over half of the school nurses in the eight cities are simultaneously responsible for several schools or several assignments.
      On the other hand, the increased number of immigrant pupils has also put pressure on the challenging work of school nurses.
      Ministerial Adviser Risto Pomoell of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health also notes that when the government strongly invests in one sector of health care, for example in the current "Health Care Guarantee", it is bound to end up with sacrifices in some other sectors.


Links:
  Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
  STAKES

Helsingin Sanomat