DIABETIC moving to finland ???

[crickett]

Hello.. I am living in england at moment and wanting to move to helsinki area, sometime in future....
But been diabetic there things need to find out about health services and the relative information..
Having hard time to find information about the subject matter.
If anyone know anyone or is that person who has moved there with diabetes .......
Got the address for the diabetic association in finland thought try this first ,,so got any thoughts...
HELP????

[Hank W.]

I am so brilliant in self-evidentialities
http://www.diabetes.fi/
not having a logical imparity with links though this'll save you wading through the gobbledygook:
http://www.diabetes.fi/english/index.htm

Diabetes, both types, is not uncommon here so you will find products and stuff... maybe not the amount/variety of products and stuff, but its the scale of economies. What you need to learn is some of the magic words, like "sokeri" and "sokeriton" (sugarfree) on products. They have stuff printed out as ingredients, but not the "american style" necessarily if you are used to that.

[Xochiquetzal]

Diabetes is actually very common here (my husband refers to it as an epidemic). As a result, there are very streamlined health services for those who are diabetic and need insulin/other services. In fact, a coworker has been diabetic since birth and has regularly taken insulin to live - and he was provided everything he needed throughout his life.

I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant. The testing and blood removal was amazingly routine, easy, and painless. In contrast to the US, where I would be stuck a thousand times with a needle to try to find blood, here I would come in and be out of the lab in 5 minutes. Easy as pie. Pharmacies are everywhere and easy to use (never found one in Helsinki that didn't have English spoken).

[AO]

I'm not sure how it is for adults but my daughter has had type 1 since 2½. We get all her supplies for free. We pay €5 for 3 months supply insulin. She was just put on the minimed pump last year which is covered by KELA. At least from what I know, Minimed pretty much has the market here and this is the only choice for the pump if this is something that will interest you or you are already are on the pump.

There is a diabetics union and we get an amount paid back to us as the caregivers for a diabetic. I'm not sure if that applys to adult diabetics. The visits to the Endo are every 3 months and a €20 co pay.

I really don't care if something is sugar free as we count carbs and the sugar free selection in Finland pretty much sucks. Besides which sugar free doesn't always mean "healthier" as you probably know.

I would definately make sure you have your residence permit and KELA immediately so that you can get assigned a clinic and Dr. Most of the health clinics around here have a diabetic clinic with Dr and diabetic educator/nurse.

[Keke]

The diabetes care for adults in Finland is also excellent. As Amber said, it's a good idea to get your KELA card (social insurance card) and residence permit ASAP so that you are in the system.

A doctor recently told me that Helsinki is making diabetes one of its primary care focus araes over the coming years.

As Amber also mentioned, insulin (and glucose meters, strips and needles) are fully subsidised by KELA for people with type 1 diabetes, so the only amount you pay is EUR 5 each time you collect insulin from the pharmacy. The needles etc are distributed via healthcare centres.

If you have type 2 diabetes, but still use insulin, I've understood that the insulin is partially subsidised, but not to the same extent as for those with type 1 diabetes.

If you are an adult with well-controlled type 1 diabetes, you receive care at your local healthcare centre (terveyskeskus) both from your assigned GP and diabetes nurse.

[crickett]

must say lots of good advice coming back through , starting to understand the system over there in finland.
Personaly as been diabetic its very scary thing to do leaving thing that make sence going to another country..
But as people keep saying the diabetic system over there is first class so putting my mind at rest ......lots......
Is there any way that they can refuse u help with the social security getting medical help cause wrote to them and said they could say no ???
Just wot they have told me thats all????
But apart from that all ok....

[AO]

Is there any way that they can refuse u help with the social security getting medical help cause wrote to them and said they could say no ???
Just wot they have told me thats all????
But apart from that all ok....

Could you clarify or rephrase that? I don't understand what you are trying to say.

What I can say is I prefer the care here then what we had in the states and that was with insurance.