Finland is renowned for its high quality medicine. There are many foreigners among the patients of Finnish clinics, including those from Russia. If you need European-level medical care, treatment in Finland may be the best option.
Finnish medicine level
The level of medical care provided by the Russian northern neighbor is one of the highest in Europe. Up to 9.5% of the state budget is spent on healthcare in Finland every year. The average cost of medical care per person per year is around 2,900 euros.
More than 20,000 licensed doctors work in the country, medical care is organized in accordance with the rules of the World Health Organization. Treatment is carried out according to international protocols.
Medicine in Finland is of high quality thanks to a rigorous training system for doctors. Finnish medical students study at the university for 6 years, then spend another 6-7 years on specialization and up to 2 years on practice. As a result, the total time of their study is up to 12-14 years - much more than in other European countries. Nurses have been trained for about 6 years.
In addition, throughout their professional careers, physicians regularly undergo advanced training. It is difficult for doctors who have received diplomas in other countries to pass the professional qualification exams that allow them to work in Finnish medicine.
Another important aspect of the effectiveness of treatment is excellent technical equipment. Magnetic and X-ray tomographs are available in every district hospital. The clinics are equipped with modern equipment for diagnostics, operations, treatment and rehabilitation of patients.
Operations in Finland are carried out using a gamma knife, a cyber knife, a da Vinci robotic arm, and computer assisted orthopedic surgery (CAOS) technology.
The country has one of the lowest rates of nosocomial infections and infant mortality in the world (due to the high vaccination rate - up to 95%). Oncology in Finland is also treated successfully: about 75% of patients recover completely.
In the past, only residents of the country could use the possibilities of Finnish medicine. But at present, foreign workers with employment contracts for a period of at least 6 months have the right to receive medical and social services on an equal basis with the Finns.
In addition, the state has launched a project that allows foreigners to receive medical care in the best clinics in the country, and medical tourism in Finland is becoming more and more popular.
Currently, most of the country's specialized clinics are part of the FinlandCare system, which helps foreigners (including Russian citizens) navigate the medical services market and organize effective treatment.
Examination and diagnostics
If you look after your health, it is convenient to undergo comprehensive preventive examinations in Finland. Express diagnostics can be performed, for example, at the Medfin Clinic in Helsinki. Reception is carried out by appointment without prepayment. The survey takes 2-5 hours, the results will be sent to your email address in Russian within a week.
If you have already identified any disease in Russia (especially serious), it will not be superfluous to undergo a clarifying examination in Finland. The cost of diagnostic procedures varies from 400 to 3500 euros.
Treatment prices
Treatment in Finland is quite expensive, but often comparable to paying for similar services in Moscow or St. Petersburg. The cost of operations below includes medications, intensive care and post-operative care costs, hospital stay and translation assistance, and in euros.
Cancer treatment in Finland:
- specialist consultations - 200-700;
- correspondence consultation on documents 500;
- Radiosurgery from 6000.
Breast cancer treatment in Finland:
- primary examination: ultrasound, mammography, consultation with an oncomammologist from 600;
- removal of a tumor from 12,000;
- removal of the mammary gland from 15,000;
- chemotherapy (1 course) - 1800;
- radiation therapy from 10,000;
- breast reconstruction - 15000-31500yu
Gynecology:
- doctor's appointment and ultrasound scan - 400-500;
- minor gynecological operations - 4000-8000;
- pregnancy management - 2000;
- childbirth - 7500-9500.
Prostatitis treatment in Finland:
- biopsy from 2000;
- prostatectomy (with the da Vinci robotic arm) - 18000-24000;
- radiation treatment - 35,000;
- the drug "Xofigo" - 6000-7000;
- orthopedics: joint replacement from 15,000;
- Rehabilitation from 200 per day.
Cardiology:
- reception and ECG - 300;
- angiography up to 3000;
- coronary artery bypass grafting from 25,000;
- mitral or aortic valve replacement (using a robotic system) from 35,000.
Dental prosthetics in Finland:
- tooth extraction - 150-300;
- implant (1 piece) - 1500-2500.
Health insurance
If you work or do business in Finland for more than 4 months in a row, you must take out compulsory Kela social insurance. In the event of illness, the Kela card can compensate for 20 to 80% of the costs of medical tests and treatment procedures, private doctors' fees and the cost of medicines.
When applying for a visa to travel to the Schengen area, medical insurance to Finland is required. The policy is opened for an amount of at least 30,000 euros.
Which clinic to contact
Depending on the type of illness, you can go to different specialized clinics in Finland (public or private).
Medical institutions that accept private patients from Russia and have Russian-speaking staff:
| Town | Clinic | Specialization | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helsinki | Docrates | Oncological diseases | Saukonpaadenranta 2, 00180 Helsinki, +358 50 5001899 https://www.docrates.com/ru/ |
| Helsinki | Helsinki Hospital | Oncology of the face and oral cavity, breast and thyroid gland, melanoma, spinal tumors. | Bulevardi 22, 00120 Helsinki, +358 40 1972266 +358 9 417 00100 https://www.helsinkihospital.com/ru |
| Helsinki | HYKSin | Oncological diseases, including rare neuroendocrine tumors, cancer of the brain, lungs, kidneys, leukemia in children, heart surgery | Tukholmankatu 8 A, 00290 Helsinki +358 10 3281900 +7 921 5536412 https://www.hyksin.com/ru/glavnaya/ |
| Helsinki Turku Laperaanta Oulu | Felicitas Mehiläinen | Pregnancy and childbirth management, infertility treatment, artificial insemination | Mannerheimintie 20, 00100 Helsinki +358 10 414 6650 Joukahaisenkatu 1, 20520 Turku Kauppakatu 40 C, 53100 Lappeenranta Kiviharjuntie 11 (Medipolis), 90220 Oulu |
| Helsinki Turku Laperaanta Oulu Tampere | Hammas mehiläinen | Dental clinic network, all types of services | +358 10 273 8000 https://hammasmehilainen.fi/en |
| Helsinki | Sairaala Mehilainen | General medical practice | https://www.mehilainen.fi/en |
| Tampere | clinic "Soxa" in Finland | Leading clinic in Northern Europe for arthroplasty | Niveltie 4 (Biokatu 6b), 33520 Tampere +358 3 3117 8023 +358 3 3117 8197 https://www.coxa.fi/ |
| Helsinki | Orton | Diseases of the musculoskeletal system, endoprosthetics, rehabilitation after amputations, bionic prostheses | Tenholantie 10, 00280 Helsinki +358 40 5596738 https://www.orton.fi/ru/glavnaja/ |
| Turku | Neo | Leading sports medicine clinic in Scandinavia, eye and plastic surgery, neurosurgery | Sairaala NEO, Joukahaisenkatu 6, FI-20520 Turku, +358 10 235 3590 http://www.clinika-neo.ru/ |
| Savonlinna | Helena | Clinic for women: gynecology, aesthetic surgery, breast, uterus, ovarian oncology. | Keskussairaalantie 6, 57120 Savonlinna +7 911 715-86-47 https://klinikahelena.ru/ |
Pharmacies and medicines
Pharmacies in Finland sell a limited range of medical products and medicines without a prescription:
- Dietary supplements,
- devices for measuring blood pressure and sugar level,
- contraception
- light antipyretic and analgesics,
- antiallergic drugs,
- vitamin and mineral complexes for children and adults,
- skin care products,
- antiseptics and dressings.
All other types of medicine can only be obtained with a Finnish doctor's prescription. Prescriptions from Russian doctors are not accepted.
To buy prescription drugs in a Finnish pharmacy, you need to go to a clinic in Finland and bring a medical certificate from a Russian doctor with a translation into Finnish so that a local doctor can write a prescription based on it.
This is not always easy - sometimes you can expect a recipe for a week. In pharmacies located near the Russian border, Russian-speaking translators work during the days of the influx of tourists.
What you need for treatment in Finland
Departure for treatment to Finland from Russia is possible only with a Schengen visa. It will be easier to get it if you contact the clinic in which you want to be treated in advance and ask for an invitation.
You need to take documents with you to the clinic that cover your state of health (with translation into Finnish). Depending on the type of disease, they can be different. Usually you need:
- Fill out an application form to the clinic.
- Provide a diagnosis from the attending physician.
- Submit documents illustrating the course of the disease: test results, X-rays, tomography, ultrasound, prescriptions with prescriptions for drugs.
- Confirm solvency (with a certificate of the state of the bank account). You may need to make a prepayment.
- Conclude a contract with the clinic for the provision and receipt of medical services.
Conclusion
Treatment in Finland has both positive and negative sides. The advantages include the opportunity to receive objective diagnostics and quality assistance, intensive rehabilitation and assistance from a Russian-speaking translator. In addition, Finnish doctors will not add to the cost of treatment by prescribing procedures that you can do without.
The disadvantages include high prices, which are not available to everyone, and the difficulties associated with traveling and living in a foreign country.
