International experts evaluate how prepared Finland is to respond to health threats
A group of experts will evaluate Finland’s health security in an exceptionally broad international evaluation from 27 to 31 March. Experts from the World Health Organisation WHO and other international organisations examine Finland’s preparedness to respond to broad health threats, for example to influenza pandemic or to antimicrobial resistance or other local epidemics that threaten to spread globally.
The evaluation supports the implementation of WHO’s International Health Regulations approved by 196 UN member countries. An external evaluation mechanism taken into use in 2016 has made the evaluations more effective than before, and Finland has been active in developing the mechanism with the WHO and other countries.
A large group of representatives from different authorities will participate the country-specific evaluation of Finnish health security, and the evaluation will be steered by the Finnish Security Committee. Authorities have carried out a comprehensive self-evaluation and its results will be presented to the international external evaluation group on week 13.
Sivun kuvaSivun sisältöThe external evaluation gives Finland an opportunity to receive independent information on how the country has prepared for various situations threatening human, animal and environmental health.
At the end of the evaluation, the international evaluation group will give recommendations for authorities’ measures to further develop health security in Finland. On the basis of the evaluation, Finnish authorities will together draw up a plan for securing health for humans, animals and the environment. Cooperation between authorities and other stakeholders will be improved and comprehensive security will be strengthened as the model of Finnish preparedness.
Finland participates actively in developing health security
The health security evaluation in Finland is part of a larger international evaluation procedure and the first evaluation to be carried out in the EU. Over 30 country evaluations have already been carried out around the world. Finland has been actively developing the evaluation process and Finnish experts have participated in health system evaluations in various countries.
The evaluation group will publish the results of Finland’s evaluation and their development recommendations on Friday 31 March 2017 in Helsinki. Online webcast is available here
Finland’s health security evaluated in March, what does it mean? (in Finnish)
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Inquiries: Anni Virolainen-Julkunen, Ministerial Counsellor for Health/Medical Affairs, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, tel. +358 295 163 324, Sebastian Hielm, Food Safety Director, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, tel. +358 295 162 305, Anne-Sofie Pesola, Communications Officer, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, tel +358 295 163 625