“Who ensures I get the very best care?”

Sirkka-Liisa Alén has experienced a lot in her life. After a teaching career, she went on to hold several positions in the health care sector. But that was a long time ago. She has been retired for over three decades now. For the past two and a half years, she has relied on dialysis treatment. That is why she makes the journey herself by taxi to the Pitäjänmäki dialysis center in Helsinki several times a week, says hello to the dialysis nurses, and sets about getting her own treatment ready.

Then she makes herself comfortable on bed 31 – it is always the same one – and waits for a nurse to connect her to the dialysis machine. A tablet computer is attached to a little table in front of her. “I always watch the morning show on TV,” says Alén. She is one of the oldest patients at the Pitäjänmäki dialysis center, which opened just recently in spring 2019. “The treatment here is good, but afterwards, I feel exhausted,” she admits. Does she find that dialysis puts a big strain on her? She has to think for a while before answering, clearly not wanting to simply say yes. “Well, I’m the eldest of three sisters, and compared to the other two I’m still in the best health,” is her eventual reply.

Alén is not one to complain. She still lives alone and leads an independent life. Her family is a very important part of it. One of her sisters lives a stone’s throw away from her home. “On the days when I go to the center for my dialysis session, she cooks for me and we meet up for lunch.”

Today, Alén has to spend around four hours at the center. A dialysis nurse stays in the room throughout, and is on hand for patients if they want anything or need help. Whenever Alén is there, Sirkku Sayeed-Väisänen comes to her bedside to see her. They both look forward to having the chance to talk to each other for a while. However, Sayeed-Väisänen does not have time to stay for long. As Head Nurse, she has responsibility for the whole center.

Anyone who lives in a vast country is probably likely to develop a completely distinct way of life that focuses above all on independence, responsibility and discipline. These characteristics are also the cornerstones of Finland’s health care system. Nurses here are generally entrusted with more responsibility than is common in other countries. But access to health care services is also much more strictly regulated. The result is a relatively efficient health care system with a sound cost structure.

Finland is regarded as a role model within Europe in many areas of society. For many years, European health care experts headed northwards to find out why the Finnish health care system is so efficient. They returned with the message that the country also stands out due to the fact that it embraces technological advances.

Nearly all services are performed in Finland by government institutions that are concentrated in health centers and clinics. Privately run facilities such as the Fresenius Medical Care centers are very much the exception.

From product supplier to innovation driver

The 24-strong team at the Finnish branch was therefore all the more proud to be awarded the contract for the two dialysis centers in 2018 by the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS), one of the largest administrative entities in the Finnish health care system.

“This success story goes back ten years,” Väänänen explains. “At the time, we had built up a totally new, multidisciplinary team,” recalls Minna Väänänen, Sales Director of Fresenius Medical Care Finland.

Marja Stenborg also came on board back then as part of the medical management team. The nephrologist contributes her medical expertise to turn employees in both product sales and patient care into experts in their field by teaching them specialist medical knowledge. “Our employees are often the first to bring the latest findings and innovative products into hospitals,” says Stenborg.

This has helped to gradually shape the Company’s image as an innovation driver in Finland. In the meantime, Fresenius Medical Care is no longer regarded as just a supplier of machines and materials, but is considered a partner when it comes to improving dialysis care in Finland. “I would say that our joint efforts in the last ten years were instrumental in winning the contract for the two centers,” says Stenborg.

There is a great emphasis on teamwork at Fresenius Medical Care in Helsinki. Finding suitable premises in a specified area, converting them, and fitting out the resulting center with clinical equipment, all in an extremely short timeframe, requires total commitment. 

The inauguration of both centers demonstrates that Fresenius Medical Care has gained a reputation as a highly reliable player in the Finnish health care system. “We are the only private center operator,” Väänänen explains. “We currently stand at more than 60 percent in hemodialysis in the product sector, and at around 80 percent in the acute sector.” This means that the Company has successfully made the leap from product to service business.