More than a third of Finnish hospitals need repairs
Structural dampness and poor ventilation hurt patients and staff
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Poor ventilation and humidity-induced dampness are problems that affect many Finnish hospitals.
According to a study commissioned by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, 15% of Finland's hospitals are in urgent need of repairs. Nearly one quarter of all hospital wards need improvements. Some repairs, or at least further study, are needed at 37% of Finnish hospitals.
The report reveals that repairs to the main central hospitals and university hospitals alone would cost a total of EUR 373 million.
Microbes that thrive in damp structures cause various ailments among hospital staff, such as colds and eye infections. Poor indoor air quality hurts both job satisfaction and efficiency.
Most patients usually are not in a hospital long enough to be affected. However, the microbes can cause deadly infections in cancer patients and organ transplant recipients, whose resistance to diseases is weak.
The investigators examined ten central hospitals and university hospitals and interviewed nearly 4,000 hospital employees.
None of the hospitals that were investigated got a clean bill of health. Only two did not have damage caused by dampness in their washing facilities. In one hospital, all patient wards require repairs.
The report does not reveal which hospitals are the worst affected.
The report was written by Professor Kari Reijula, head of the Uusimaa Regional Institute for Occupational Health. He says that the results of the study can be applied to other Finnish hospitals and public health clinics as well.
Professor Reijula blames some of the problems on previous faulty repairs. Most of Finland's larger hospitals were built in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Reijula says that problems exist in both old and new buildings.
He says that municipalities and regional health care districts do not have enough money to implement the necessary repairs, and he proposes that a repair programme financed from the state budget.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 23.2.2005 - TODAY |
 More than a third of Finnish hospitals need repairs
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