Creating an ecosystem of sustainable healthcare is a goal shared by countries across the globe, but Finland has set itself apart from others with world-class research and development to create future-proof hospital infrastructure, secure data and analytics, implement digitally enabled care, and introduce energy efficiency in logistics and business operations.
“Finland is one of the few countries that has embraced health data as part of our business-friendly legislation and has over half a million genomic samples voluntarily given by the population. This says a lot about our dedication to disease prevention and innovations for early predictions while reducing costs,” said Meria Heikela M.Sc, Director of Business Finland.
Dubbed number one in the world for sustainable development by the UN Sustainable Development Report in 2021, Finland is further gaining prominence for personalised healthcare that demonstrates its commitment to access and inclusivity. The country is also a world leader in diagnostics and home to world-class innovation with efficient healthcare systems backed by government support.
Adding to its long list of recognition, the Global Competitiveness Report 2020 by the World Economic Forum named Finland the top creator of “markets of tomorrow” notably in areas that require public-private collaboration.
The Finland Pavilion at the recently concluded Arab Health gave visitors from around the globe the opportunity to discover some of the leading innovations set to be a game-changer. There were about eight organisations in the zone, including Business Finland, which facilitates meetings to nurture connections and build long-term partnerships between the regional and international attendees. Each brings forth top-notch healthcare solutions centred on automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud connectivity and SaaS platforms.
The Optomed Aurora IQ, for instance, is a retinal imaging camera both portable and powerful in terms of image quality. The smart, handheld device features an integrated cloud connection and can detect retinal changes, which helps professionals identify conditions such as diabetic retinopathy at an early age. The state-of-the-art equipment also comes with an optional AI service for analysis.
The solutions presented at the Finland Pavilion addressed most sectors in the healthcare industry, each armed with a theme to integrate digitalisation in healthcare. According to Anni Iso-Mustajarvi, Director of BeeHealth SaaS Platform, it is also important to create technology that brings ease of use among medical professionals. In addition, she said that the latest advancements coming from Finland are built on over 10 years of dedicated focus on digital health and well-being.
“We have universal health records, strong authentication and many more. Efficiency is also something we take into consideration. Our digital clinic model, for example, aims to serve 10 to 30 patients in one hour in a quality manner. We also strive to keep doctors happy, making technology user-friendly, accessible, and available to everyone,” she added.
This article appears in the Daily Dose 2023. Read the full issue online today.
