Sitra's Health Care Programme has closely cooperated with the key actors in the Finnish health care sector in order to prepare new solutions for improving health care services. As the programme advanced, it was evident that health care development requires in-depth structural changes.

When the programme was launched, insufficienct resources and increased demands was by far the biggest issues in health care in Finland. An ageing population, the growing numbers of people with long-term illnesses, and the continuous increase of health care costs were addressed as one of society's major challenges. At the time the common approach focused on how to make ends meet and how to best make the existing health care capacity serve the population's health needs.

As the programme progressed, it became clear that it is necessary to take a stronger approach to care need assessment in basic health care. New technologies should be extensively utilised in order to improve transparency and productivity. What is more, care should be increasingly allocated on the basis of the intended care results, while considering whether the provided care really results in improved health.

The programme has contributed to promoting a process of change within the Finnish health care system. One of the main issues for operational development is clarifying the roles with respect to ordering and providing services, whereas a higher level of effectiveness can be achieved by more closely integrating social services with health care services. Better utilisation of technology in health care still relies heavily on national investment decisions.

The future of Finnish health care essentially depends upon the health and social legislation under preparation. A joint vision of the future of health care will be outlined at the Future Health Care seminar in Helsinki on the 18th of February.