Ministerial Delegations Activities

As part of Radical Health Festival Helsinki 2024, the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is proposing a full-day programme of site visits and high-level discussions for international ministerial delegations and selected Festival participants.
Finland stands out for its robust foundations for digital health excellence: exemplary data governance, thriving digital society, nurturing ecosystems for innovators, and a well-anchored culture of trust. Here’s what sets Finland apart:

Rich Health Data: Decades of meticulous data collection have culminated in comprehensive national registers and digital health records;

Digital Health and Care: The Finnish healthcare system leverages this wealth of data within a fully digital framework: from tax filings to medical prescriptions, everything is seamlessly accessible online and embraced by the Finnish population;

Innovation Hub: Finland proudly ranks as an Innovation Leader, surpassing the EU average by 134.3% (European Innovation Scoreboard 2023, EU Commission);

Foundation of Trust: Finland operates on a solid foundation of trust, where citizens have confidence in the honesty, fairness, and adherence to laws and regulations by authorities, politicians, and civil servants. This contributes to Finland consistently being among the happiest nations globally!

Finland offers an ideal environment to leverage the use of health data for the development, piloting and large-scale deployment of innovative digital services. During your visit, you’ll find inspiration, learning opportunities, and potential partners for research, development, and innovation. With a strong emphasis on education, engineering prowess, entrepreneurial spirit (with the highest number of startups per capita in the world!), a focus on deep tech and AI, and world-class healthcare and scientific infrastructure, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is inviting you to discover Finland as a destination of choice for digital health.

Welcome aboard! This full-day programme is designed to immerse you in Finland’s dynamic digital health ecosystem.

8:45  All delegates meet at

HUS Bridge Hospital

Meeting point: Info desk, located in the Bridge Hospital’s main lobby. The session is in auditorium named “Töölö”, close to info desk.

Visiting address: Haartmaninkatu 4, Helsinki, Meilahti
Arrival instructions: https://www.hus.fi/en/patient/hospitals-and-other-units/meilahti-bridge-hospital/visiting-instructions#info-and-registration

9:00-12:00  Helsinki University Hospital HUS Visit (Invitation Only)

Location: Helsinki, Meilahti HUS campus

• 9.00 Welcome words
• 9.05  Introduction to Finnish Social and Health Care System,
  Dr. Päivi Sillanaukee, Special Envoy for Health and Wellbeing and Jukka Lähesmaa,     Consulting Officer, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland

• 9.20 Healthcare AI development, Japanese and Estonian reflections
  Prof. Kazuhiro Sakurada, Keio University School of Medicine, Japan
  Jaanika Merilo, Head of eHealth Strategy in Estonian Government Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia
• 9.40 CleverHealth Network – Ecosystem for Public-Private Collaboration
  Katariina Rouvinen, Development Manager, CleverHealth Network Ecosystem coordinator, HUS
• 9.45 HUS Acamedic – secure, scalable and virtual research environment
  Emmi Turunen, Software Specialist, HUS
• 9.55  CleverHealth Network project examples: Prospective use and patient recall in registry studies / Rare Diseases
  Docent Mikko Seppänen, HUSHome Dialysis
  Dr. Virpi Rauta, HUSAI Head Analysis
  A/Prof. Miikka Korja, HUS
• 10.35  International cooperation in EU projects
  Pekka Kahri, Technology Officer, HUS
• 10.50 Bridge Hospital introduction and tour (max 25 persons)
  Pekka Lahdenne, Project Director, Large Hospital Development Projects, HUS
• 11.30  The event ends

11:30-12:00 Transfer to Messukeskus (Invitation Only)

12:30-13:30 Lunch (Invitation Only)

13:30-17:20 Ministerial Side-event (Open To All) | Location: Messukeskus, Room 208

• 13:30-14:45  National Level Health Data and Registries The Big Picture of Finnish Health Data Ecosystem
  Sirpa Soini, Director, Chief Data Officer, Department of Knowledge Brokers, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL, Finland
• The Unique National Health Data Ecosystem Kanta
  Arto Vuori, Director of information services, Social Insurance Institution of Finland Kela, Finland
• Panel Discussion:
  How data registers and ecosystems benefit people in everyday life, viewpoint of patients and healthcare professionals Markku Heinäsenaho, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health; Sirpa Soini, THL; Arto Vuori, Kela.
  Host: Joonas Siitonen, Fujitsu FinlandCommentator for the panel discussion: Dr. Georg Münzenrieder, Head of Fundamental Matters of Digital Transformation & New Technologies at Bavarian State Ministry of Health, Care and Prevention, Germany
  
• 14:45-16:00  Secondary Use of Data Towards the European Health Data Space: Key Insights and Future Directions from Finland’s 5-year Journey
  Johanna Seppänen, Director, Findata, Finland
  Findata has accumulated five years of invaluable hands-on experience in applying EHDS-like legislation nationally. In this keynote, she will highlight essential considerations for the secondary use of health data across Europe and provide practical guidance to leverage this upcoming legislation to its fullest potential. 
  
  Fingenious Ecosystem – Delivering More Together
  Marco Hautalahti, CEO of FINBB (Finnish Biobanks), Finland
  Aiming to boost international research collaboration, the Fingenious Ecosystem offers a single window to Finnish service providers and data for biomedical research. In this keynote, we’ll guide you through the unique collaborative network, encompassing public, academic, and private stakeholders in administration, data and sample sourcing, analytics, and consulting. If you’re in search of partners, your search ends here. 
  
  Reflecting the Finnish model from a Japanese viewpoint
  Professor Tomohiro Kuroda, Kyoto University, Japan
  This presentation will provide a comparative analysis of the Finnish model from a Japanese perspective and aims to uncover valuable insights, highlighting potential lessons for both countries. 
  
  Panel discussion:
  Synergizing the Secondary Use of Health Data – Sketching a Collaboration Blueprint
  Following keynotes, experts from different sectors around the world dissect the implications of these experiences.
  Prof. Tomohiro Kuroda, Kyoto University; Michel Silvestri, Head of Unit from Swedish eHealth Agency (eHälsomyndigheten), Sweden; Mariann Lassenius, Sr. Scientific Advisor, Medaffcon, Finland; Dr. Sangheon Lee, CEO, Huniverse, South Korea.
• 16:05-17:20 Innovative Age Tech Welcome
  Saara Hassinen, CEO, Healthtech Finland
  
  Needs from Finland and Japan
  Mika Fiskari, Senior Specialist, Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County, Finland
  Dr. Kentaro Watanabe, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan
  
  Solutions from Finnish companies
  Mikko Hyle, Marketing Director, Evondos Oy; Juha Sarsama, CEO, Everon Oy; Henrik Resman, CEO, Vivago Oy, Finland
  
  Solutions from Japan
  Dr. Kentaro Watanabe, AIST, Japan
  
  Panel discussion:
  How important medicine care, remote monitoring, the use of data and new technologies are in the care of the elderly people
  
  Kati-program providing tools for the adoption of agetech
  Heidi Antila, Senior Researcher, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL, Finland
  
  Training of professionals, co-development and piloting with companies
  Toini Harra, Principal Lecturer Metropolia, Finland
  
  The living lab, co-development, and piloting initiatives in Japan
  Dr. Kentaro Watanabe, AIST, Japan
  
  Panel discussion
  Adaption of agetech, professionals, co-development and piloting.