Planning and Health Policy in Finland
The health services system in Finland is analyzed from the point of view of planning–oriented activities. Society has traditionally been the main provider of services in this country, and executive responsibilities of local autonomous authorities are balanced with the centralized control carried out by legislative measures and subsidies. An organized information system is a prerequisite to planning (this is especially true in a country with Finland's type of organizational structure). The Finnish system is based on problem–oriented data banks. Health interview surveys which link social background data with health–related information have a key role in this system; these surveys are well suited to before and after comparisons. Information is capable of producing action only if it is properly analyzed and timed. In order to obtain information about actual goal expectations of the decision–makers, the special–purpose planning departments are located at a high level of government in Finland. Typical methods of implementation, such as financial subsidies, are described in this paper, and economic estimates and long–term budgeting are given as examples of guides for the central authorities. The use of before and after studies to measure the effect of the policies is described, and some observations on the weaknesses in the present system are presented.