Blog Post #8 - Health Contexts

Finland has a very progressive healthcare system. The government provides universal
healthcare for all Finns. This is funded by taxes and social security. There are still some
private practices in Finland but it is a very small industry. Finland is considered to have
some of the best universal healthcare plans in the whole world. Dentistry and some
specialty practices fall under private practice.

Finland is primarily focussed on modern medicine as a treatment for different diseases.

However, they do like to incorporate some holistic medicine in addition to modern
medicine. Some of the most popular treatments in Finland include sauna usage,
acupuncture, aromatherapy, and other forms of holistic medicine. Something that I
found interesting is how regulated holistic medicine is in Finland. The government
oversees and regulates a lot of the holistic medicine practices in Finland. Fins are
considered some of the most healthy people and a lot of it has to do with the
combination of both modern medicine and holistic medicine. Fins get the best of both
worlds with their approach to healthcare.

Some death practice in Finland that I found interesting is that the person who dies
typically designs their own casket. In many cases death is unexpected so the family
takes this job over but if the person dies from old age or is slowly dying they will typically
design their casket. In general, Finland death and funeral practices are pretty similar to
American ones. Different religions handle death and funerals differently. Most funerals
take place in churches of some sort or at the family of the deceased’s house.

If I had a friend going to work for a non-governmental organization in health care in

Finland I would explain to them that they are entering a pretty small sector in Finland.
Healthcare is very regulated in Finland so a non-governmental job would likely be under
a pretty small company. I would explain to them that working in this company would
have a smaller scale and more local business vibes compared to a bigger corporate job.
The communication within the company would still be professional because
professionality is something that is prioritized in Finland. The advice that I would give
them is pretty general advice about professionality. I would also explain that in Finland
healthcare is funded by the government so a non-government job would be a lot smaller
and maybe a not as popular option.
https://www.internationalinsurance.com/health/systems/finland/
https://www.expatfocus.com/finland/guide/finland-complementary-and-alternative-medicine#
https://thefuneralmarket.com/funerals-customs-around-the-world/finland