For generations, people have been coming to Finland for health reasons.
Sakari Orava a preeminent surgeon in the fields of sports injuries, was sought by David Beckham to help with a ruptured Achilles tendon.
WHEN David Beckham ruptured an Achilles tendon several years ago, he chose to come to Finland for surgery. He, along with other top international athletes, trusted his career with surgeon Sakari Orava and the Finnish health care system. While high-profile footballers generate headlines for domestic health care, such tourism is nothing new for Finland.
At the end of the 19th century Finnish health spas were a popular destination for health-conscious foreign travellers, with Naantali, Turku and Lappeenranta hosting resorts. According to a presentation from Markku Tyni at the University of Savonia Applied Sciences, the people who came to these spas from abroad were not only urbane aristocrats: commoners as well as the elite came to Finland.
Here they visited doctors and received modern therapy, such as electric treatments and turpentine vapours. Many were from Russia.
New EU directive
Although St. Petersburg residents may have flocked to the Grand Duchy of Finland for health reasons, in the last century health care tourism dwindled. Conflict with Russia limited such visits, and other European nations developed their own national health care systems.
“It has not been very common,” explains Matti Bergendahl, CEO of the private health care services company Mehiläinen. “Generally speaking, health care services have been provided locally. Finnish private or public hospitals have not been marketing health care services outside Finland.”
Yet this may be changing. Bergendahl points out that the quality and access of care in Finland could be a draw to foreign visitors. Some specific physicians and services may develop good reputations internationally. More changes may come from Europe.
“In the future, demand may increase due to a new EU law,” continues Bergendahl. “A newly-adopted EU directive improves patients’ rights to cross-border health care and should become part of national law by the end of October 2013. Patients travelling to another EU country for health care should then enjoy equal treatment with the citizens of the country in which they are treated. This new law can increase demand for cross-border services.”…
DAVID J. CORD
HELSINKI TIMES
LEHTIKUVA / VESA MOILANEN / MIKKO STIG
source: http://www.HelsinkiTimes.fi / Parent category: Themes , Category: Health & Wellbeing / September 14th, 2012
