Three days – three weeks – three months
The ultimate goal for securing the future of health care is for the patient to have
access to treatment as quickly as possible and to receive the best possible treatment,
regardless of his or her financial position or where he or she lives. The decision in
principle of the Council of State requires the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health to
prepare, in collaboration with the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities,
guidelines
for the implementation of nationwide non-urgent treatment and queue management by the end
of 2003. The ministry has appointed a committee to examine queue management and access to
treatment. The mission of the committee is to draft proposals on general principles
concerning access to treatment, the criteria of the system for assessing the need for
treatment, the principles of queue management, and necessary proposals for amendments to
legislation.
The basic premises of preparation are access to preliminary assessment of health within
three days of contacting the service, access to outpatient assessment by a specialist
within three weeks of referral, and access to medically justified treatment assured within
the time specified by the nationwide treatment recommendation or within a reasonable time
based on other evidence, usually within three months and in no more than six months. The
chairman of the committee is Professor Mats Brommels of the University of Helsinki.