Health Care System in Finland - Overhyped: Be careful

 

We have written a couple of earlier blogs about some of the real problems with the health care system in Finland. One recent one is: The Finnish Health Care System

But my personal experience of the last two months may be especially of interest and important to several of you.

Even though  I am 80+ and with only one leg, I consider that I am extremely active. 

As Annikki has severe dementia and is incapable of any action which requires the thought process,  it is my task to look after everything in the household. 

I do have one lady who comes once a week to vacuum the house and wash the floors. 

We eat out twice a week but the rest of the week I have to manage the cooking and providing food for both of us. 

Being an amateur ergonomist, I have made it a fine art of minimum effort for maximum result!

One of my tasks has been to visit the large supermarket every Sunday, where our youngest son, who lives near the supermarket, would take care of his mother while I would do the rounds and stock up our needs for the week.

About 2 months ago I started to feel tired while doing the shopping. Every week my ability to shop became problematic. Finally, I was just able to do about 50 metres walking and then had to rest.
I realised there was something seriously wrong and informed the home nurse that I needed to have urgent medical attention.

She arranged for me to meet my local doctor. 

I was immediately sent for an ECG.  

The ECG revealed  a left bundle branch block in my heart, which my daughter explained to me was an electrical problem of the heart.

“ A left bundle branch block (LBBB) is a heart condition that occurs when there is a delay or blockage along the pathway that electrical impulses travel to make the heart beat. The left bundle branch is one of the pathways that these electrical signals use to travel from the heart's upper chambers (atria) to the lower chambers (ventricles).

When there is a blockage or delay in the left bundle branch, it can disrupt the normal coordination of the heart's contractions, leading to an abnormal heart rhythm. This can be detected on an electrocardiogram (ECG) as specific changes in the pattern of electrical activity in the heart.

LBBB can be a sign of underlying heart conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, or heart failure. It can also occur in people with otherwise healthy hearts. Treatment for LBBB depends on the underlying cause and may include managing any heart conditions present or addressing other factors that could be contributing to the blockage.” (Explanation was AI Generated)

I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance and after a wasted half day in the Out Patient Ward, I was admitted to the Cardio ward in the Oulu University Central Hospital. I was fitted with a telemetry device which continuously tracked all my vital data.

The next day I was taken for a chest X-ray and later the cardiologist  did an ECHO examination. The following day they did an angioplasty.

The conclusion was that my problem could be treated by medication. I was duly sent home to take one prescribed tablet in the morning and one in the evening. I was also provided with a mouth spray to be taken if I was embarking on a major exercise routine.

I started this regime. 

I have my own monitoring system where I take my blood pressure, test my blood sugar before and after food and keep tabs on my pulse and blood oxygen. All my data is obtained both in the morning and evening so I know exactly where my health condition stands.

I did go to have all my  remaining teeth extracted as a continuation of my dental health programme. I recovered from that very quickly.

However, 9 days following my return from hospital, I realised something was still seriously wrong. 

I went to bed on the Sunday afternoon and woke up late afternoon on Monday. I could hardly lift myself from my wheelchair to move about!

Poor Annikki suffered not being looked after but she is an angel  and stayed by me quietly through those 26 hours.

On the following Wednesday I informed the home care visitors that I was in a terrible state and to inform my home nurse.

Nothing happened for a day so I told my daughter, who is a professor of medicine at Newcastle University (NUMED) in the UK and the Dean of the NUMED teaching facility in Malaysia.

She said just one thing: “This is not your NORMAL, Dad. See the cardiologist as soon as possible.”.

I sent an email to the cardiologist using the Oulu University email address but then I found it rejected the email. It appears that they do not entertain emails from their clients!

In desperation I managed to get to the cardiologist on the phone but she was on her rounds and said she would  call me back.

She called me back in the afternoon and after listening to my version of the facts with all the relevant data she asked me to stop the medication with immediate effect.

So, now I have stopped the medication - and what is the next step as there is no next step for me except to live with my problem which is steadily weakening of my ability to do any lengthy physical exercise!

My daughter has suggested that I have a Pacermaker installed, but I am not very inclined to any operative procedure.

I wonder if the cardiologist realises that I am back at SQUARE 1 and now in limbo and I must try to find a possible solution. 

I will pursue the matter with my home nurse to get  the “plan”, but for now it is extreme careful behaviour and no extra physical exercise till I find the solution.

Finland’s health care system is considered to be fantastic but the bulk of the doctors are without the in-depth experience and expertise required of their profession and the pace has to be forced by the individual. 

It is not important for something to be just free. The competence of all those in the system has to be of the calibre required of their job!

I have since reverted to my heritage technology. 

I have increased my intake of coconut products as coconut water 8total nutrition), coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut yoghurt, and also increased my intake of ginger, tumeric, pepper in green tea with honey. I will continue my intake of my high fish (salmon) diet which is rich in Omega 3. 

I will start light physical exercise which causes no stress or tiredness.

I will continue my intensive monitoring and try to get the results reviewed by my own doctor to get some action before it is too late!

I do not intend to live as a vegetable!!

The Finnish Health Care System

This picture shows me at the worst phase of my health life in Finland when I suffered heart failure, underwent triple by pass surgery and changed my lifestyle, some for the better and some for the worse.

Maybe this short introduction will help some of you when health crisis looms!

Those of you who are relatively new to Finland should understand the good and the bad of the Finnish health care system. Those who work with companies, such as Nokia, or have private insurance, should also take care to understand the pros and cons of the Finnish system.

If you have come from India, when you walk into a good clinic there, an experienced doctor can literally diagnose you as you walk into the room. An Indian doctor handles about 60 times more patients in the same time span as a Finnish doctor. The Indian doctor is also not hampered by taboos associated with accepting traditional medicines.

When our younger daughter was studying medicine in Newcastle, she went to do her internship in a hospital on the outskirts of Chennai. Her experience was so enlightening, at the young age of 50 she is Dean of a hospital today,  not only because she is brilliant but because of the practical experience she obtained during her internship. 

We have outlined her history in our blog entry "Proud Parents".

She did her Master's in English Philology from Oulu University, had a great job in Nokia, taught in the Open University in Oulu and then decided she wanted to take up her calling as a doctor. 

She joined Newcastle University in UK, and while raising three small children as a single mother, qualified as a doctor, headed the anatomy department in the hospital and is now the Dean of the Newcastle University associated teaching hospital in Malaysia in Johor, about 20 km from Singapore.

Coming back to the subject of medical treatment in Finland, if you walk into a Finnish hospital you are first greeted at an information counter, given a token to see a nurse, which sometimes may take half an hour or more.  The nurse will want to know sympyoms you have and she will decide what tests need to be done. That may take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour.  Only after the results are obtained will she refer you the doctor. That process may take from half an hour to four or more hours!

Annikki and I once took Annikki’s 82 year old mother one evening to the outpatient department in the Oulu University Hospital. The poor lady had to sit there for eight hours, with no nourishment, before she was seen by the  doctor to get a prescription of a painkiller!

In another instance, I developed a rash and I decided to consult a doctior at the Oulu City Hospital. Annikki told me not to waste my time as she knew what it was. I persisted and went to the hospital to go through this long procedure before the tests were done. The doctor studied the results before he proclaimed that I had a version of chicken pox. Annikki had seen this through bringing up our four kids, so her diagnosis was 100% correct. Did she laugh!!!

I remember two cases of Indian IT engineers who stayed in our Oulu  apartments, I took them to the hospital suffering severe intestinal symptoms. After hours of waiting, experiencing excruciating pain, with me holding their hands, they were sent home with a prescription of painkillers. 

In one case I had to rush the engineer (as Rakesh Rawat will confirm from Apple Inc. in Cupertino)  to hospital  the next day, and his wife, Dipti and their daughter had to come home to be looked after by Annikki. Poor Rakesh had severe complications and had needed immediate urgent care.

Another case was of Nainala Srinivas who called me to lunch at his apartment in India House and while making pudina chutney for me sliced off part of his finger. I had to rush him to hospital and undergo the same lengthy process  while he was in sheer agony! Poor fellow was crying on my shoulder.'

So do not be fobbed off by any doctor in an outpatient Department. Question the diagnosis as otherwise it may be too late as "Uncle (now Grandpa) Jacob" now with his one leg will not be around to take you back to be attended to! :-) 

This is not to say that quality of the senior doctors is not the best. My life was saved because of the rapid response to do the bypass surgery. 

But that is another story. 

Annikki and I, because of our lifestyle never had occasion to visit the hospitals in Finland for over 30 years except for mandatory tests. 

On every visit to India we used to do the Executive Health check up at one of the good hospitals as Apollo. This prevention is better than cure philosophy was great. Also on our regular visits to India  Annikki would bring back essential health aids, such as Electral, pain plasters and simple important non prescription medicines, so that we did not even have to visit a local pharmacy.  

Annikki was also a great one for reading books on health which made our life style a healthy one. I knew I had a high sugar problem, but exercise and good food kept it in check.

In 2016 I developed a small fat lump on my back. The doctor suggested lancing it. The minor operation was done. I was given an antibiotic as a post operative treatment. 

By evening I developed a intensive body rash requiring me to go the hospital. I was taken off the antibiotic immediately, but the damage had been done. 

My entire immune system was thrown out of gear. I soon suffered heart failure and had to be taken to hospital for bypass surgery. Water had collected in my lungs virtually drowning me and I was unable to breathe. That had to be syringed out. I was minutes from death but God knew I had a purpose still on this earth and he gave me the best medical treatment possible in Oulu University Hospital. The doctors and nurses were simply superb.

My underlying Type 2 diabetes surfaced and my eyesight started to fail. I was officially declared a diabetic.

I developed gangarine in one toe of my left foot and that was cured by great care by the wound department of the Oulu City Hospital.

While that was happening they decided to do angioplasty on my legs. On my left leg they did it to the foot but on the other, from where they had removed the vein for my bypass surgery, they stopped at the knee.

I developed gangarine on my right big toe, which then required amputation. Then other toes started to show signs of gangarine.

I lost all of them, and then half my right foot. The situation got worse till last June, 2022, when the decided they would amputate my right leg. I asked them to discuss with my daughter, who studied the results and told them to only amputate to below the knee. And that is the situation today. I may still try to climb Everest as my mentor is that Nepali who climbed it with both his legs amputated.

In the process I went through great hospital care and some pathetic nursing as well. The lack of attention in one instance resulted in 4 litres of urine collecting in my system. If I had not been a heavy drinker in my early life (I have been a teatotaller for 44 years now), I would have exploded. I survived but my kidneys were severely affected. The urologists gave uo one me but I followed the old wives tale remedies of my mother and regenerated all the functions again and got back control.

Again, when I went for my major amputation, they gave me a spinal anaesthetic which again threw my kidneys to the winds. Again the urologists gave up on me, but excellent ayurvedic care from Dehra Dun and the old wives remedies have put me back again to normalcy.

Recently, when Annikki had a burst appendix, the rapid respose was so quick, that her life was saved by the doctors and care in Oulu University Hospital.

Annikki because of the severe stress she went through has developed dementia, something which is heridetary. Today with one leg, an electric wheelchair, a walker, and excellent support from the Finnish health care system, at the tender ages of 79 and 80, we are even looking after young Indian students who arrive in Oulu, teaching them how to orient to life in Finland till they get acclimatisation and accommodation from PSOAS.

Our advice to all of those who come from abroad to Finland, please consult those who have experience with the system in Finland. 

Let not the blind lead the blind. 

Over our 40 years in Finland, we have helped many Indians through their difficulties.

One more word of warning. It is a punishable offence to bring in medicines to Finland from outside the EU. Only a limited amount for self use with a doctor’s prescription is permitted. Not only will the drugs be confiscated but you will face prosecution. 

Many of you may laugh at that as many believe Finnish law will be flexible to your whims. I can assure you that it is not so and as I have found that they are severely harsh on foreigners. 

In Finland there is a need for responsibility. If you disregard the law, you are liable!

Many of you should take note of this advice as we point out in one our earlier blog entries!

Findians

Health advice from a layman

Yesterday, I had an email which was forwarded to me by a good friend in Mysore. It contained details of the benefits of consuming cinnamon with honey.

I am not a doctor and have absolutely no knowledge of health matters. I live a simple life and eat mainly what my wife puts on the table. I did not take any medicines for many many years, and although I have been a borderline diabetic, it really never crossed over till my recent visit to India, where the partying almost every day, the rich food, plenty of Indian sweets, pushed me right over the top.

When I visited the diagnostic clinic in Chennai, the doctor was worried and put me on a crash 2 month 1500 calorie diet advice with a string of medicines and health supplements.

My partying continued for another week in Mumbai (as we had a class 50th year reunion) and then I went on to the advice given by the doctor.

A month later, before I left Delhi, I went to check the values that were problematic at another diagnostic clinic. My problem values had halved, bringing most of them in line with normalcy.

I have continued the medicines for another month and will get myself tested in Oulu shortly.

When I received this email from my friend, it seemed very interesting, as it sort of handled all my problems.

I discussed this with Annikki, who reads all the possible health news sheets that she can lay her hands on. She pointed me to a book by an Indian author she had picked up almost 16 years ago called "Herbs That Heal". (The author does not sing great praises about all discoveries being ofIndian origin and gives the history of the medicinal uses of most herbs as it is knwn from literature.)

H. K. Bakhru was an employee in the Indian Railways till his retirement in 1984. But he has a countrywide reputation as an naturopath and has written much on the subject.

The book contained quite a bit about cinnamon which sort of agreed with the contents of the email.

I went to the supermarket, yesterday, and got myself a large bottle of cinnamon powder. I had a couple of cups of cinnamon / honey tea yesterday. This morning I replaced the jam on my toast with a spread of cinnamon and honey.

I like the taste and smell of cinnamon. Before coming back from India, i bought large tube of toothpaste, which is cinnamon flavoured. (I also bought one which is neem flavoured as I also like neem.)

I enjoyed the tea and the breakfast. Now that I am off my medicine routine, i hope that this combination with my wife's control of my diet, will keep my in trim.

I reproduce below the contents of the email I received.

CINNAMON AND HONEY

FYI....Here's some new uses for cinnamon and honey.


NEVER GIVE HONEY TO A BABY UNDER THE AGE OF ONE YEAR.


Cinnamon and Honey

Honey is the only food on the planet that will not spoil or rot. It will do what some call turning to sugar. In reality honey is always honey. However, when left in a cool dark place for a long time it will do what I rather call "crystallizing". When this happens I loosen the lid, boil some water, and sit the honey container in the hot water, turn off the heat and let it liquefy. It is then as good as it ever was. Never boil honey or put it in a microwave. To do so will kill the enzymes in the honey.

Cinnamon and Honey

Bet the drug companies won't like this one getting around..

Facts on Honey and Cinnamon: It is found that a mixture of honey and Cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a 'Ram Ban' (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases.

Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients. Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada, in its issue dated 17 January,1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and cinnamon as researched by western scientists:

HEART DISEASES:

Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, instead of jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also, those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada , various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and veins.

ARTHRITIS:

Arthritis patients may take daily, morning and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week, out of the 200 people so treated, practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain, and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.

BLADDER INFECTIONS:

Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder.

CHOLESTEROL:

Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS:

Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses.

UPSET STOMACH:

Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root.

GAS:

According to the studies done in India and Japan, it is revealed that if Honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

IMMUNE SYSTEM:

Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of Honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacterial and viral diseases.

INDIGESTION:

Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals..

INFLUENZA:

A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ' Ingredient' which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY:

Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of cinnamon powder, and three cups of water and boil to make like tea.. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans also increase and even a 100 year old, starts performing the chores of a 20-year-old.

PIMPLES:

Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root.

SKIN INFECTIONS:

Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.

WEIGHT LOSS:

Daily in the morning, one half hour before breakfast on an empty stomach, and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

CANCER:

Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three times a day.

FATIGUE:

Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M. when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the body within a week.

BAD BREATH:

People of South America , first thing in the morning, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.

HEARING LOSS:

Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restores hearing. Remember when we were kids? We had toast with real butter and cinnamon sprinkled on it!

Maybe I do not believe everything contained in the above email, but as it checked out with what my wife was saying, I thought it a better alternative to consuming a pile of drugs. My wife did warn me that she had read somewhere that there are a coupe of side effects of using natural cinnamon, which has some additional ingredient which is not all that beneficial.

So I will let you know the result of my trials in a few weeks.

Thank you Naval for this email, as it certainly came when I needed to take some positive action in my health life!

Mumbai landing

Before we landed at Mumbai, we were given two forms to fill in. The first was a statement to be filled and signed by us about our possible contact with Swine Flu. the second was the Immigration landing form.

It really showed that I was completely out of touch with India as I filled up the Immigration form. There was a point about "ECR" to be filled in by Indians. For the life of me I had no idea what was an "ECR". After racking my brains, I thought it best if I asked on of the Indian youngsters who was sitting in the row in front of me.

I tapped on his shoulder and asked him what was an "ECR". He looked at me incredulously, thinking where this old goofy guy had come from and something in an American accent, which I could hardly understand. Then the guy sitting next to him said it stood for "Emmigration Clearance Required".

I was so naive, I asked what that meant - when he told me to look in my Passport. Sure enough, there it was stamped that I did not require emmigration clearance!

We landed on time at Mumbai International Airport at 25 minutes past midnight on 19th November. As the aircraft doors opened, the feeling was exactly like being in a sauna, the temperature being around + 30 C. We were pouring with sweat as we walked a long long walk from the aircraft to the Health Registration counter where we were expected to give up that form we had filled on the aircraft. Along the way I read a placard that said that Finland was one of the countries on the list where there was swine flu, and our ear temperature would be taken.

Obviously the guys and girls at the counter did not have much faith in such placards placed on the way from the aircraft, so as soon as the took our forms, they waved us on to immigration - which was another long walk.

As we were walking slowly, we were among the last at the counter. I handed all three forms, Annikki's, Mika's and mine, to the officer. He asked me to stand in front of him. Then he went through my passport, issued in 2004, which was pristine clean with only one entry, my Finnish residence permit. Not a single other entry - except the stamp showing I had left Finland on this journey.

The officer looked at me and asked how long I had lived in Finland. when I told him it had been my home for 25 years, he said he was proud of me as I had kept my Indian nationality.

(I wondered which other country would give a dumbass like me their citizenship!)

We finished immigration and we were waved through customs to again make a long long walk to the terminal exit where we hoped our car and driver would be waiting for us. It was past 1:30 when we reached the exit!

A trying three weeks

When Annikki's mother came home from her interval care in the Old People's Home in mid February, we were a bit worried about her physical strength, as the new home she was sent to did not have correct instructions to try to keep her mobile and ensure her muscles stayed active.

In the morning of last Monday, The third day after she got home, when Annikki took her to toilet, we found that she had no energy to hold herself upright.

Annikki then had a terrible scare as her mother was fainting while Annikkki was feeding her. With great presence of mind, Annikki acted quickly. As I was around, we tilted back her chair to ensure that blood flow to the brain was maintained. We managed, with a great deal of difficulty, to get her back to bed, lifting her heavy body onto the bed.

A little later in the afternoon, while in bed and when Annikki tried to feed her some liquids, she threw up the food she had eaten earlier that day.

Annikki was quick to call the ambulance to admit her mother to the hospital via the emergency wing of the hospital. Intravenous drip was already administered before the ambulance left home.

After an investigation, it was decided to hospitalise her. She was treated with antibiotics till the flu / influenza attacks were brought under control.

She was finally discharged, two weeks after she was admitted. We brought her home.

However, the next morning, it became evident that she was extremely weak and that we, at home, did not have the equipment or skills to look after her in that state.

Luckily it was time for her interval care, so we took her in to the Nursing Home where she is now in the care of nurses.

Hopefully she will recoup her strength so that when she gets home in another week's time, we will be able to continue her care at home.

This is a very difficult time for Annikki as she has cared for her mother on a night and day basis over the last six and a half years. I have helped with all the outside home work, shopping, etc., and also with the heavier work of physically lifting her when required.

Let us hope that she will be well enough to resume her stay in her home that she knows and loves.