Wellbeing services counties make decisions for the future: people’s wellbeing as a significant economic solution

Prime Minister Orpo’s Government has set an objective of adjusting public sector activities to ensure that the national economy is on a sustainable footing. At the moment, it looks like it will be difficult to achieve this objective over the next few years though. The decision-makers in the wellbeing services counties are in a key role here. Reaching fiscal balance in general government finances is essential. This can be done reasonably in such a way that we do not compromise people’s competence, work ability and wellbeing. To do so, we need to put in place a number of simultaneous long-term measures. 

The new county decision-makers are in an instrumental position when the counties make strategic choices for the next council term. We can keep the growth of general government spending in check in the long term by bringing in effective preventive measures. Investments in areas such as supporting young people’s mental health, finding ways to sustain people’s capacity and ability to work, preventing chronic diseases and encouraging older people to look after their functional capacity will enable Finland to maintain its competitive edge in the years to come. A strong economy requires healthy and thriving people with good work ability and functional capacity.

To be able to tackle the challenges that demographic changes and the fiscal stance in general government finances pose, county councils need fortitude and a long-term approach. In the worst case, poorly targeted savings may increase the deficit that they are trying to address – both in financial terms and in terms of wellbeing.

Finland is not alone in facing these challenges. Data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) show that many European countries are finding it challenging to restructure health and social services in a systematic way.

When improving healthcare and social welfare systems, we need to give more thought to how we can influence the population’s need for services. To date, the focus in discussions has been, and rightly so, on whether services are equitably available and whether everyone has access to them. We ought to shift the focus to preventing the need for services from mounting.

The British Medical Association has highlighted the need to promote people’s health as a key way to safeguard adequate health services and to balance the national economy. By supporting people’s work ability and functional capacity, we can harness human resources more effectively. One thing that Finland should look into in particular is to find ways to reduce inequalities in health and wellbeing between different population groups and between different regions. Positive action is deemed to be one way of addressing this issue.  

Even though preventive action is widely recognised as important, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) consider that Finland fails to utilise this potential adequately. We need to allocate more resources to services that help us achieve the greatest societal impact in the long term. To do so, the wellbeing services counties, together with the municipalities, different organisations and other actors in their areas, should identify common objectives and measures for promoting people’s health and wellbeing and direct resources to reaching the agreed objectives. The healthcare and social welfare system should not be alone in promoting the wellbeing of the population; instead, let us advance it in people’s everyday environments. 

Shifting the focus in the healthcare and social welfare system to preventive work can be done. To do so, decision-makers in the counties need to make concrete decisions, take a long-term approach and have the patience to look beyond more than just one electoral term. This means we need to embrace a new way of thinking.

The European Office for Investment for Health and Development of the WHO has created a wellbeing economy framework whereby investments in the wellbeing of the entire population help in ensuring that society remains stable and public finances are on a sustainable footing. In practice, this may involve measures such as fiscal policy measures, new budget and investment mechanisms and procurement and employment practices that support local economies, along with better opportunities for making a living. Decision-makers have expressed interest in using these tools and measuring wellbeing impacts, because people want to live in prosperous and safe communities where they can thrive and where the wellbeing of future generations is secured.

In this article, we have drawn attention to how economic sustainability and the wellbeing of the population operate on a reciprocal basis.

To conclude, we would like to emphasise that, in the current uncertain and rapidly changing environment, only skilled people with a positive sense of wellbeing and good functional capacity are able to respond to crises and rapidly changing situations. Resilience does not just happen. It is built on psychological wellbeing, inclusion and trust. The measures that the wellbeing services counties decide to adopt are instrumental in advancing these factors. 

Veli-Mikko Niemi 
Permanent Secretary, Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for the planning, guidance and implementation of health and social policy in Finland.

Chris Brown 
Head of the WHO European Office for Investment for Health and Development
The Office supports national health networks, authorities and other partners in promoting health equity and implementing health policies that integrate social, economic, gender-responsive and rights-based approaches.