Letter to the Editor -
Editor:
Finland is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. The Republic of Finland is surrounded by Sweden (West); Norway (North), Russia (East), and Estonia lies South (Southern region of the Gulf of Finland).
Like neighboring Sweden, Finnish residents have access to their National Public Drug Plan. The National Medicines Agency of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (In Finnish, it is called Sosiaali-Ja Terveysministerio) is responsible for providing pharmaceutical coverage for all 5.4 million Finnish Health Consumers.
This nationwide program provides coverage to: persons with disabilities; mental health consumers; seniors, veterans, children, low and moderate income families and individuals as well as all workers, regardless of status.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, and indeed, all Finnish government departments and agencies provide trilingual information for all Finnish residents; Finnish, Swedish and English.
This essential Pharmacare service follows five principles: - to promote safe medical treatment - to safeguard comprehensive pharmaceutical service nationwide - to promote cost effectiveness in the use and prescription of pharmaceuticals - to develop the reimbursement system appropriate to treatment - to keep pharmaceutical costs to patients and society reasonable.
Drug coverage or reimbursement levels varies from individual to individual and family to family as coverage is determined on one's socio-economic status or in-come levels. According to the Helsinki-based National Medicines Agency, the basic reimbursement is 42 per cent of the drug costs, however, certain people can receive either 72 per cent reimbursement or full 100 per cent coverage for their prescription drug expenses. In order to receive reimbursement, Finns have to purchase their medications from any one of Finland's 800 pharmacies and branch pharmacies.
Like Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and other nations, Finland has shown that Health Consumers can benefit from a National Pharmacare Program.
Edward Sawdon
St. John's, NL
Sawdon_edward@yahoo.com
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