Helsinki Health Centre wants to rent doctors from recruitment agencies

Doctor shortage has worsened in the past one year

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The City of Helsinki Health Centre is calling for the right to start buying physician services from recruitment agencies in case the shortage of doctors threatens severely to compromise the equal distribution of health services required by law.
      This Tuesday, the Health Committee will address the Health Centre's motion and decide on whether to pass it on to the City Council.
     
In a year, Helsinki's doctor shortfall has swelled from last year's 5.8 percent to the present 7.5 percent.
      In some areas of Helsinki, such as Herttoniemi, Kontula, Kivikko, and Jakomäki, part of the population has been without a nominated health station physician for months.
      The fields where the Helsinki Health Centre lacks most physicians include home visits, acute patient care in health centre hospitals, and psychiatry.
      At the end of July there were 531 physician positions in Helsinki, 407 of which were permanently filled. Forty of the posts were vacant. The city's present shortage of doctors is the worst since the beginning of 2001.
     
The lack of nominated health station physicians has driven residents to seek medical attention from the city's two congested hospital emergency health centres.
      The shortage of physicians has also rendered the regular control visits of those with chronic illnesses more difficult.
      The City of Helsinki has two alternative ways to tackle the doctor shortage problem. Surgery hours can be bought from private physicians, or the city can turn to medical staff recruitment agencies for the missing input. Rented personnel is the only solution available for the growing home care problem.
      The City Council's decision from 2002 enabled the buying of surgery services from private physicians. The use of recruitment agencies, however, was rejected at the time.
      In the not too distant future, the Helsinki Health Centre will also decide on a proposal for the possible use of "leased labour" in dental care. For that the City Council's blessing is not required.


Links:
  The City of Helsinki Health Centre

Helsingin Sanomat