Government cuts | The government’s line is cracking: Both basic Finns and the coalition were concerned about Kouvola

The government the lines are cracking in the hospital savings decision of the frame-up. Member of Parliament from Koumu, from Kouvola Ville Kaunisto is disappointed with the government’s decision to abolish the night duty at Kouvola’s Ratamo acute hospital.

“I see the government’s decision as a failure,” says Kaunisto.

The government decided to seek savings by abolishing night shifts in primary care. The government’s proposal is currently in the opinion round. It proposes that night-time emergency services between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. be abolished in Kouvola, Jämsä, Raahe, Varkaute and Iisalmi.

Basic Finnish finance minister Riikka Purra said in Kouvola at the election conference last Saturday that the decision can be canceled if it turns out that it will not bring savings.

In Kaunisto’s opinion, the decision should be canceled in any case.

“We are talking about a city of 80,000 people, and Finland’s largest conscript city. There is also an increased risk of a major accident in Kouvola because of the railway yard and the deliveries that pass through it.”

The coalition parliamentary group leader Matias Marttinen told STT on Thursday that the savings agreed upon in the framework dispute will hold. According to Marttinen, if you want to cancel a saving, you have to find a replacement saving elsewhere.

Kaunisto also thinks that no savings can be undone, i.e. the calculated saving of 5 million euros brought by the abolition of night duty in Kouvola should be found elsewhere.

“We will make adjustments of 9 billion euros in this election period, so I believe that the solution is to find opportunities elsewhere.”

Kaunisto said in April Kouvola Sanomatthat he has received so much criticism for the intention to abolish night duty in Kouvola that his family has not felt safe at home in Kouvola.

What has the criticism been like, have you received threats?

“Well. The feedback was quite direct and worrying. The messages were quite strong. When you have a wife and two small children, it doesn’t really mean that you don’t feel comfortable in your own home. I do understand that this government’s decision affects many people’s lives, and I was a natural target to relieve that pain. However, as a member of parliament, I felt it was a bit exaggerated, how those feelings erupted towards me from the government’s decision.”

Also the ruling party, a representative of the Basic Finns Sheikki Laakso is critical of the abolition of night duty.

“Those calculations, what there [sosiaali- ja terveysministeriössä] has been made, cannot be true. During the opinion round, you have to look at what those savings would actually be.”

The welfare area has strongly questioned the calculations that the abolition would bring adjustments.

“If there are no savings, hardly anyone will propose it to be abolished. The ministry’s calculations have not been presented very comprehensively before the opinion round, so it has not been possible to find errors in them before.”

So, in your opinion, has the government made a mistake in making such a termination decision?

“The government has not made any mistakes. The government has received calculations from the ministry that there will be savings. During the statement round, the readings will be reviewed.”

Kymenlaakso the welfare area has made various calculations about what the cost effect of abolishing night duty would be. According to all calculations, the abolition would not save according to the region, but on the contrary would increase costs.

According to the most expensive calculation, the costs would increase by 8 million euros, but in this scenario, new emergency receptions would be established in the area. However, the ministry has not assumed the establishment of such in its own cost calculations.

According to the most favorable calculation made by the welfare area, costs would increase by 2.4 million euros. In this option, the emergency room doors would close at 10 p.m., and stretcher patients would then be transported to Kotka instead of Kouvola.

In this scenario too, there would be no savings in the welfare area.

Kymenlaakso’s development manager Lauri Lehdon according to the reason is that ambulance rides to Kotka would increase. In addition, Kouvola’s emergency room should have staff at night anyway, because some of the patients who came in the afternoon and evening would not have made it home yet. In Kouvola’s night care, the average treatment time of one patient from arrival to discharge is 6.5 hours.

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in the calculations, the savings would be about 5 million euros.

The calculation takes into account the increasing number of ambulance transports. However, it is assumed that not all patients would go to another location by ambulance at night, but that 40 percent of those visited would stay until the next day.

Savings have also been calculated to come from the fact that the use of expensive rental labor is reduced when there are fewer offices. Welfare areas have to hire employees for emergency services if their own staff is not sufficient to maintain the emergency services. In the worst case, temporary labor can pay up to twice as much as your own personnel.

The chief physician of the welfare area Kimmo Salmion savings cannot be calculated on the basis that 40 percent of the patients would stay until the next day. According to him, only a few of the night patients “may be able to be treated” the next day.

Adjustment 31.5. 12:28 p.m.: Contrary to what was said earlier in the story, in the calculation made by the welfare area, stretcher patients would be transported to Kotka after 10 p.m., not after 4 p.m.