Finland has more nurses but fewer doctors than the EU average.
The recently released joint OECD report State of Health in the EU, shows that Finland has around 19 nurses per 1,000 inhabitants. The EU average is 8.5 nurses per 1,000 inhabitants.
By constrast, there are around 3.6 doctors per 1 000 inhabitants, which is less than the EU average of 4 doctors.
"There seems to be a greater shortage of doctors, and this is reflected in the prices of locum doctors, which places an extra burden on taxpayers," says Juho Ruskoaho, chief economist at the advocacy organisation, Local Government and County Employers KT.
Locum doctors are hired on an as-needs basis, often incurring higher daily rates.
Norway, Germany and Sweden are among the countries with more doctors than average. Estonia has fewer doctors and nurses than the EU average.
Ruskoaho points out that the shortage of nurses is still a problem in Finland. There is an ageing population in health care throughout the western world. But other factors are also adding to the burden.
"In Finland, poor access to care and accessibility of care are serious problems and a major factor behind this is the shortage of trained professionals. The need for social and health care professionals is likely to increase. As treatments evolve, so will the demand for health professionals. And the medical debt caused by the Coronavirus pandemic is still being paid off," says Ruskoaho.
"We would have jobs for several thousand nurses in Finland. As the population ages, the need for nurses will grow,” he adds.
The 2023 joint-OECD Commission report compares individual country profiles and notes, among other things, that the number of doctors in Finland varies widely between regions.
Labour shortages and cost savings have been used as the basis for relaxing the qualifications needed for elder care, starting at the beginning of next year.
Ruskoaho would also like to see the nursing resources freed-up so that they can be allocated to the wellbeing services counties where the need is greatest.
"Best case scenario, this could even improve the targeted services, as carers could be recruited to where they are most needed."
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