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[Rick1]

Amazes me that everybody take that African girl seriously. She must have been a daughter from some corrupt government official and have had some kind of Paris Hilton life because most African persons should be thanking god on their knees that they are here. Why are we otherwise all the time shipping billions of money there? BTW it is not perfect but if Kokoomus will disappear from parlament it might be still affordable for people which the minister of healthcare calls a small minority (less than 2600 a month). Otherwise Police and all services will be outsourced and can be bought for large sums. Labour, Labour, cheap labour please.

[harryc]

Amazes me that everybody take that African girl seriously.

Please see my post and see that 'everybody' does not include me.

Her 'question' evaded all logic IMO - in fact - sorry to have to be direct - pretty dumb.

[harryc]

Let me just say that I was not meaning to say the OP was dumb - just that the question was dumb

[Pursuivant]

I didn't say "intellectually challenged" either - but it does bring up a lively debate.

Fair does - the working people can usually get a private clinic as the employer is in charge of providing healthcare - but then theres "all the rest". School healtcare is pretty consistent fortunately, but still there is money for all kinds of damn Giggelberg museums but not a Childrens Hospital??? And then this "eternal" need for nurses thats been around since I was aspiring to drive an ambulance... I'd moved to Canada or USA with my EMT papers as there was no tenures and the pay is so crap you can't support yourself. Was it now 70% of those graduating as nurses have some other job in 5 years? And what is the solution? Import slave labor.

Frankly - the healtcare system is slowly deteriorating, especially in the rural areas. Image living in Nuorgam and getting pregnant. The nearest hospital to have a maternity ward is 800km away. And they are closing down... Ummm... "Centralizing" more and more, so I think back in the early 1900's kids were born in a Sauna its now on a back seat of a Taxi.

Must be this multiculturalism everyone is wanting - hopefully the foreigners feel like at home

[DMC]

Frankly - the healtcare system is slowly deteriorating, especially in the rural areas. Image living in Nuorgam and getting pregnant. The nearest hospital to have a maternity ward is 800km away. And they are closing down... Ummm... "Centralizing" more and more, so I think back in the early 1900's kids were born in a Sauna its now on a back seat of a Taxi.

Where I live the local hospital (30+ km away) now only provides emergency cover during the day & during the week. In the evenings or at weekends patients have to go elsewhere. Of course this places extra load on the ambulance service so what is the next proposal? Reduce the number of ambulances! Our area will drop from 2 ambulances at night to one, and that one may be called away to cover an adjacent area where they won't have any ambulance at all.
A few months ago I had to call an ambulance at night for someone who became ill. They were taken to hospital 110km away, which obviously means the ambulance was off station and not back and available for others for quite a long time.

At the same time as this is happening the trend is to encourage old folks etc to remain at home rather than in sheltered accommodation, and I would have thought this means they are more likely to require an ambulance. Always more pressure on the service yet the resources available are reduced.

So yes, the service is deteriorating. The level of care provided when you eventually get past the increased journey times or elongated waiting lists still seems to be very good, but delays in being treated can surely put lives at risk.

[harryc]

Anyone familiar with any Finnish versions (including fictional) of similar material such as was handled on "Little House on the Prairie" - so that we might put the development or deterioration of rural medical services in Finland over time in focus?

This could also then be analyzed together with the dynamics of urbanization in Finland - with regard to the economic, sociological (especially demographic) and technical consequences.

This study - with appropriate beginning hypotheses - would no doubt be a creditable doctoral dissertation.

[Pursuivant]

I'm not comparing when annie oakley sucked dick on horseback, but say the 1970-1980 era.

[African Girl]

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[onkko]

Amazes me that everybody take that African girl seriously. She must have been a daughter from some corrupt government official and have had some kind of Paris Hilton life because most African persons should be thanking god on their knees that they are here.

Thanks for your kind words everyone! No, I didn't explore the topic of health care systems fully in all their detail. My aim wasn't to write a thesis here. I only wanted to ask about your experiences with the Finnish health care system (which I summed up very concisely in the subject line). Sorry, I must be a pretty bored housewife

I must laugh at your impressions of Africa. Have you ever been there? Not everybody is suffering and longing for good ol' Europe. Indeed there are many African countries ravaged by war and extremely corrupt governments. I'm sure those people would be very happy to be in Finland! However, there are a good deal of people who CHOOSE to stay in Africa, and I would go back there in a heat-beat. In fact, my husband and I are hoping to go back to my home country, South Africa, next year for a few months to do some internships. Finland is a great country in many aspects, don't get me wrong, but there are many great aspects about *certain* countries in Africa too! Regarding healthcare; we have to have private health insurance which is very expensive. However, we have world-class private hospitals and doctors. The first heart transplant in the world was performed in Cape Town, South Africa by a South AFRICAN. Please don't think I am on my knees thanking God I am here in Finland and not in Africa anymore . Although, I am happy to have the experience of living in both countries! And I do appreciate Finland a lot!

And that heart surgery was done by white american. I can see how i could choose africa, i can get armed guards and i am way more educated and can earn enough to make africa worth of it.

[African Girl]

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[ilikepeanutbutter]

It took half a decade to get a diagnosis for my auto immune illness in Finland, but that's because I'm WAY younger than most afflicted by it. Sooo in that time it went systemic but oh well, at least I have a name for it now and am in line to see a specialist.

I have lots of friends in USA who have no insurance and pay everything out of pocket. I am thankful for public healthcare since it's the only one I have and hey, it's something. Plus I got in the same day to have my hemorrhoids looked at and had an acoscope up my butt in the frame of 30 minutes lol...that'd of taken longer in the States I'm sure (or the backwaters where I grew up).

So I'm thankful it's something at least.

Kat

[biscayne]

Noone will believe me, but I've worked in 4 different healthcare systems, and the best one, hands down, was Slovenia. Fast, efficient system, extremely well trained doctors, particularly consultants. Absolutely no out of pocket expenses, you can even get a prescription for paracetamol...... 5 rounds of IVF free, there is an online waiting list which anyone can check so you can make sure the employees of hospitals etc. are not shunting granny to the head of the queue.

Pay there is baaaaad though, and taxes brutal.

[onkko]

And that heart surgery was done by white america

Onkko, really now Quoting from wikipedia, if I may: "the world's first adult human heart transplant was performed by a South African cardiac surgeon, Christiaan Barnard"

So no "white person" can be considered South AFRICAN even if they are born in Africa??

He was educated in USA and according to current "byhyy opression" he was white oppressor and not to count as african.

[atas]

So, that makes me British and all present-day Americans non-Americans, since they were 'oppressors' to the natives.

[African Girl]

He was educated in USA and according to current "byhyy opression" he was white oppressor and not to count as african.

This is getting quite off the topic now, but.....

The first white/European settlers arrived in South Africa in 1652! It is surprising that after almost 400 years, westerners living in South Africa are not seen as true South Africans. As atas commented, with that thinking, that would make all whites living in America not true Americans. The Dutch settlers in South Africa (present-day "Afrikaans") established their own new language and culture in Africa; a whole new identity. Yes, that heart surgeon may have studied (partly) in America. But in fact he obtained his Master's in South Africa before that and then returned to South Africa. How on earth does that make him suddenly "American" and not "South African"?

I was only commenting on that previous post, that I should be "on my knees thanking God I am here in Finland", was very inappropriate and irrelevant. Not to mention, quite ignorant.