HUS: Syöpähoidot ovat hyvätasoisia

Sairaanhoitopiirin hallinto antoi kuitenkin heti viime viikolla julkisuuteen tiedotteen, jossa vakuutettiin HUS:n syöpähoidon olevan Stakesin vertailtavuustutkimuksen perusteella ”kansallisesti hyvää tasoa ja kansainvälisesti erittäin hyvää tasoa”. Lisäksi todettiin HUS:n pystyneen viime vuosina lisäämään varoja syöpälääkkeiden hankintaan ja sairaalan saavan elokuussa käyttöönsä Pohjoismaiden ensimmäisen tarkkuuskiihdyttimen.

Potilasvahinkokorvaukset kasvoivat miljoona euroa

Suurin osa oli hoitovahinkoja, joita oli yhteensä 1 905. Infektiovahinkoja korvattiin 163, ja muita vahinkoja 57. Yleisin korvattava hoitovahinko on sattunut tuki- ja liikuntaelinten toimenpiteen yhteydessä. Sellaisia vahinkoja korvattiin viime vuonna 417 kappaletta.

Terveydenhuollossa työntekoa ei koeta mielekkäänä

Tutkimus perustuu työministeriön Tilastokeskuksella teettämään työolobarometriin, johon on otettu Työturvallisuuskeskuksen kuntaryhmän toimesta lisäotos. Sitä varten on haastateltu puhelimitse 661 kunta-alalla työskentelevää palkansaajaa. Aineiston on kerännyt Tilastokeskus syys-lokakuussa 2002.

Palvelujen osto yksityisiltä lisääntyy kunnissa

Kuntaliiton hallitus suosittelee, että kunnat laativat seuraavaksi kymmeneksi vuodeksi strategiset linjaukset palvelujen järjestämisestä, jotta palvelurakenteiden muutos tapahtuisi hallitusti.

EU-komissaari lopetti neuvottelut tupakkateollisuuden kanssa

– Meillähän on ihan erilaiset prioriteetit: minä haluan lopettaa heidän toimintansa, he haluavat tehdä voittoa, hymyili Byrne. Hän totesi, että tupakan mainoskielto ja teollisuuden sponsoroinnin lopettaminen ovat elintärkeitä toimia, joilla estetään teollisuuden mahdollisuus edistää tuotteidensa myyntiä.

The anti-smoking role of the Finnish Medical Association

According to contemporary estimates, Finns were the heaviest smokers in the world in 1920. After WWII, in 1949, three out of four Finnish males had the smoking habit. Gradually, research reports began to appear in the 1950s of the harmful effects of smoking. Finnish medical associations stated in their joint declaration of 1960 that smoking increases the incidence of pulmonary and cardiac disease, shortens life expectancy and is therefore a serious menace to public health. Anti-smoking combating had started in Finland.

Santero Kujala

Tarja Halonen The President of Finland: We still need discussion on the risks of smoking

The 12th World Conference on Tobacco or Health will be held from August 3rd to 8th 2003 in Helsinki. The conference will bring together some 2000 professionals from 115 countries involved in tobacco control.

Ulla Järvi

Finland in the Forefront of Global Tobacco Control

Since the major smoking-associated health hazards were convincingly shown in the 1950s, the efforts to curb the smoking epidemic have gradually escalated - first in the developed countries and more recently in the developing countriesworld. The global devastating nature of the global epidemic is now widely known, mainly as a result of the visible leadership of the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO has clearly helped to lift the problem from the medical discussions arena to a major issue on the global political agenda.

Liisa Elovainio, Pekka Puska

Tobacco control in Finland

The paper describes the national tobacco control efforts in Finland during the past three decades, with emphasis on implementation of a comprehensive legislation and related health promotion activities. There has been a gradual reduction of smoking among men and a levelling off of the increase among women according to a national system to monitor the trends in smoking prevalence since 1978. In 2002 some 27 % of men and 18 % of women were daily smokers in the age group 15-64 years; this level is one of the lowest in Europe. Mortality trends due to major tobacco-related major diseases (CHD, lung cancer) have improved remarkably over time. The surveys and experience show much progress and success in restricting smoking and peoples' exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, much in accordance with the respective legislations: smokefree schools and other public places, restrictions of smoking at worksites, and smokefree areas at restaurants. The Finnish tobacco control policy has been based on evidence and research, with gradual implementation and close monitoring. The policy has been quite successful, but there are still challenges to address in the future. International development, based on the successful implementation of FCTC, will be important for Finland to achieve further progress in tobacco control.

Kimmo Leppo, Pekka Puska

Tobacco epidemic in Finland

Finland has implemented a comprehensive strategy to control and constrain tobacco consumption among the population since the 1970s. A virtual epidemic of tobacco consumption with a prevalence in excess of 70 % of smoking among the adult male population has changed to a moderate prevalence of 28 %. Female smoking has become a problem, as is the case in many western countries, and 20 % of all adult women smoke daily. The decrease in male smoking prevalence continued until the 1990s and was due to both a decrease in smoking initiation and an increase in smoking cessation. The consumption of tobacco products peaked in the early 1970s and was annually 1,75 kilos per capita for every Finn aged 15-year and older. The consumption of tobacco decreased from 1973 to 1977 by 10 % and over the next 15 years by one percent annually. The enforcement of the Tobacco Control Act has had a positive effect on supporting the decrease of smoking and tobacco consumption.

Kristiina Patja, Erkki Vartianen