What if there were no health centre?

Good healthcare does not arise by itself — it is a political choice made by the regional council elected in the regional elections. What if Jorvi A&E were the only emergency service for all of Western Uusimaa? What if you always had to queue for hours at Jorvi? What if the bill afterwards had a couple more zeroes than it does today? What if nursing staff had an even harder time, and other personnel such as cleaners did not exist at all? What if nursing staff did not make it in time, even if you pressed the call button? Extremely unlikely, but possible nonetheless from 2023 onwards , when social and health care transfers to being organised by the wellbeing services counties.

What if healthcare failed us?

For most people, emergency care is the first point of contact with treatment for an illness or injury. The sooner appropriate treatment is received, the more effective it is. In the best case, easy access to low-threshold care also avoids more unpleasant and costly procedures. When a child develops a fever, you’ve been in an accident, or you feel extremely unwell, the nearest health centre is usually where you head.

What if the health centre worked excellently?

So what if that nearest health centre were actually nearby? If you could see online how busy it is right now, and you never had to queue for more than about twenty minutes? And there was no bill afterwards at all? What if nursing staff were well, and did not have to do anything other than care work? Does that sound good? And it’s not impossible.

When the new regional council is elected in January , the major structural reform of the entire social and health care sector begins in earnest. Then each of us will have the opportunity to influence what the future of wellbeing looks like in Western Uusimaa. Although the whole reform feels very bureaucratic and disconnected from everyday life, these are extremely important elections — the regional councillors elected will get to plan the entire social and health care system as well as rescue services in our region exactly as they wish.

You decide whether the regional council makes cuts or investments.

What if our health centres were the best in Finland?

I have written more about the social and health care reform: the significance of sote for the welfare society and about abolishing healthcare fees .

Published in Kirkkonummen Sanomat on 14 November 2021.