JHL (16.04.2014 - Heikki Jokinen) After much debate and various proposals mooted the government parties and the opposition parties agreed at the end of March on the implementation of a comprehensive reform of social welfare and health care services in Finland.
All services are to be delivered by five regional providers. In each region there is one university hospital. Municipalities will still be responsible for services and paying for care.
JHL president Jarkko Eloranta sees the chosen model as being on the right track. "It is based on service providers which are big enough or proportionate to population demands. In any event the most important concern is to secure reliable and good quality services throughout the country as a whole."
There are still questions which have to be decided or resolved, Eloranta stresses, such as the situation of employees, the role of the municipalities, financing of services and genuine coordination of social and health care.
Eloranta reminds us that there is also a pressing need to consider what decision making power will be left in the hands of the municipalities when social welfare and health care services are transferred to regional bodies. The latter are clearly two of the major tasks for municipalities.
The new reform legislation must guarantee the right of a citizen to proper care and access to basic services.
And it is especially important is to look out for interests of municipal employees. It is very probable that many will acquire a new employer. Their employment protection must be guaranteed, Eloranta says.
Those currently employed by municipalities now have five year protection against dismissal should municipalities opt to merge. This must be also written into the new reform legislation, Eloranta insists.
The purpose of the reform is to safeguard municipal service provision, Eloranta says. "We must be absolutely clear in our minds about this. Profit seeking by private capital investors and preying on markets must be avoided at all costs."