Shaping The Future Of Healthcare - How Finland is Leading the Digital Healthcare Revolution with Päivi Sillanaukee, MD, PhD, eMBA | Christoph Zindel

How Finland is Leading the Digital Healthcare Revolution with Päivi Sillanaukee, MD, PhD, eMBA | Christoph Zindel

12/06/20 • 41 min

Every country is unique in its healthcare operations. Much of Europe has a long history of socialized medicine based on The Bismark Model, a German system dating back to 1883 which guarantees healthcare to its citizens. Programs in Europe and Asia are primarily adaptations of this model.

By the 1960s, however, Finland saw the need to rethink its healthcare system and create something that served its population better. A young group of doctors who were also in charge of policymaking took the lead in creating a new model. In 1972, the current Finnish healthcare system was signed into law, making public health centers the central concept.

In this episode, Managing Board Member Christoph Zindel interviews Dr. Päivi Sillanaukee, Director-General at the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. Dr. Päivi Sillanaukee is the thematic Ambassador for Health and Wellbeing at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland as part of a pilot program of cross-sectoral cooperation on global issues. She also represents Finland on the World Health Organization’s Executive Board.

We’ll learn how the healthcare model in Finland operates, the infrastructure it requires, and how this model actually encouraged digital innovation from its inception. We’ll also discover the lessons that can be extracted from this model that has been serving the Finnish population for nearly half a century.

Some Questions Asked:

What can we learn from the system of healthcare in Finland? (2:30)
How do you view the scalability of your system? (6:00)
How can access to care be improved? (9:20)
What conditions do policymakers need to create for digitization? (21:37)
What advantages come from diversity in healthcare? (29:51)
How do you stay healthy during the long winter months in Finland? (37:59)

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

The role of socialized healthcare in Finland (3:39)
How Finland built the infrastructure for digitalization (10:59)
Two things you need in order to have digital innovation in healthcare (14:48)
Why trust in technology among populations is so important (17:36)
How culture plays a role in keeping us healthy (39:13)

Connect with Dr. Päivi Sillanaukee:

Connect with our Managing Board Member, Christoph Zindel:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some Questions Asked:

What can we learn from the system of healthcare in Finland? (2:30)
How do you view the scalability of your system? (6:00)
How can access to care be improved? (9:20)
What conditions do policymakers need to create for digitization? (21:37)
What advantages come from diversity in healthcare? (29:51)
How do you stay healthy during the long winter months in Finland? (37:59)

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

The role of socialized healthcare in Finland (3:39)
How Finland built the infrastructure for digitalization (10:59)
Two things you need in order to have digital innovation in healthcare (14:48)
Why trust in technology among populations is so important (17:36)
How culture plays a role in keeping us healthy (39:13)

Connect with Dr. Päivi Sillanaukee:

Connect with our Managing Board Member, Christoph Zindel:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

A Visionary for Change: Ophthalmology and Accessibility with Aravind Srinivasan MS, MBA | Christoph Zindel

Over half of the world's population lacks access to basic healthcare. Beginning to tackle this problem requires more than structural change in the way we provide care. A true sense of purpose to create and direct those changes is vital for the structural DNA of a healthcare system to be rewired.

Blindness was once a major problem for people all across India. The issue was accessibility to care in the early stages of ophthalmological complications. In 1976, Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy opened the first Aravind Eye Hospital. The goal was to streamline care and make it more affordable while keeping the quality of care at a premium. Since its founding, the Aravind Eye Care System has expanded, serving more than 55 million patients across India. That legacy continues under the leadership of today’s guest.

In this episode, Managing Board Member Christoph Zindel interviews Dr. Aravind Srinivasan, Chief Medical Officer at Aravind Eye Hospital Chennai. He is a cataract surgeon and expert in ophthalmology at Aravind Eye Care System. His focus is on management, innovation, and mentoring, specializing in evaluating and interpreting the performance of each division of AECS.

Dr. Aravind Srinivasan shares the organizational mission, being that if treatment exists, then there’s no reason for people to suffer blindness needlessly. Through streamlining and standardizing their process of care, Aravind Eye Care System has helped countless people gain access to treatment. Today we’ll hear about the personal motivation that led to building the system, how it’s applied across India, and what it takes in terms of experience and personal drive in order to manage such a revolutionary system of healthcare.

Some Questions I Ask:

Can you explain your system of healthcare? (3:36)
How are you able to make care so affordable? (9:20)
How have you increased accessibility to care in India? (13:21)
Is telehealth contributing to accessibility during the Covid-19 pandemic? (17:55)
What can other healthcare organizations learn from your model? (20:00)
How do diversity and inclusion play a role in the building of your teams? (24:20)

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

How the problem of accessibility was addressed (4:35)
Why a sense of purpose often gets lost in the business of healthcare (7:50)
How poverty created a cultural barrier to asking for care (13:50)
A simple example of streamlining that helped shape AECS (20:22)

Connect with Aravind Srinivasan MS, MBA:

Connect with our Managing Board Member, Christoph Zindel:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

The Future of Robotics in Healthcare with Dr. Tejas Patel, MD, DM, FACC, FESC, FSCAI, FCSI | Christoph Zindel

When we think of robots being used in surgical procedures, the concept may seem futuristic. But in reality, this type of technology has been in place for a number of years, especially in operating rooms occupied by doctors who have been personally interested in exploring the possibilities and benefits of robotic assistance.

Today’s guest is considered to be a pioneer in utilizing robotic technology in his practice. It was first utilized in his hospital in Gujarat, India back in 2017, and by 2018, he had made international headlines after performing the world's first in-human robotic heart surgery.

In this episode, Managing Board Member Christoph Zindel interviews Tejas Patel, Chairman & Chief Interventional Cardiologist at Apex Heart Institute in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Dr. Patel is internationally recognized as one of the world’s pioneers in the field of Transradial Approach, and he is a long-time advocate for the use of robotics in the field of healthcare.

Through the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, robotic technology has provided a safety advantage for healthcare professionals, allowing them to perform surgical procedures without risking exposure.

Today, you’ll learn about the many advantages of using robotics in healthcare, how the issue of cybersecurity is being addressed, and you’ll gain an understanding of how remote surgery is performed along with the long-term potential for this technology.

Some Questions Asked: