Abandoning night shifts and specialized outpatient clinics increases insecurity in all parts of the population as the distance between them increases.
With several in welfare areas, savings have been proposed by closing down night shifts and specialized outpatient clinics (HS 12.1.).
The specialized outpatient clinics of small hospitals work well and the services are close by. Too much centralization creates queues, exhausts nurses and doctors, and takes knowledge away from the basic level. This leads to flight from public jobs.
Abandoning night shifts and specialized outpatient clinics increases insecurity in all parts of the population as the distance between them increases. In Iisalmi, in the Pohjois-Savo welfare area, 25 doctors have signed a public petition in favor of maintaining Iisalmi hospital's special outpatient clinics and night duty.
The previous centralization decree already prohibited anesthesia in small hospitals. The ban on anesthesia has weakened their first and crisis care. In Sweden, anesthesia is used even in small hospitals, and day surgery works for routine surgeries of basic health. We would benefit from the Swedish model. Surgery queues would be shortened and larger hospitals could focus on their special expertise.
Patient transportation costs should be taken into account in full. Ambulance, taxi and own car expenses are not reflected in the total expenses. Travel expenses for patients and relatives, time spent traveling and lost work time must be counted. The total costs are increasing and there are no savings!
As the number of elderly people increases, so does the number of taxis and ambulances and the carbon footprint. Is this sustainable development?
Hannu Vierola
specialist in gynecology
Erja Behm
child psychiatrist
Anne Vola
specialist in general medicine
Iisalmi
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