The response to the health challenges that lie ahead will depend on a closer network of public-private partnerships and international cooperation. This is the conclusion reached by the various representatives of the nations attending the European Conference that took place in Helsinki this year.
“By bringing together people from different countries and sectors, the academia, businesses and government, we have a better chance of finding new solutions. By working and discussing together about the challenges and ... to better health, we are moving towards new innovations”, said Päivi Sillanaukee, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health of Finland.
The Nordic country has been collecting data since the 1960s on population health, as well as socio-economic data, and now it is said to have 100% digital health records, according to Sillanaukee. The so-called Kanta services in Finland are a good example. Kanta is a unique service concept that includes electronic patient records, prescriptions, electronic social assistance documents and personal health and well-being records.
With Kanta, health professionals can access the necessary data throughout the country, store patient records and make prescriptions. Citizens can browse their own medical records and prescriptions and order repeated recipes online. This is precisely the kind of initiative that should be dispersed throughout the world, especially in underdeveloped countries.
The construction of good digital health services alone is impossible, a task like this should be supported by teams from different countries of the world with the same goal: to improve the health of people and prevent diseases at home with the help of technology.
