Will there be a digital health competence network in Finland?

The Digital Health network wants to be an internationally renowned and recognised pioneer that promotes sustainable growth and well-being by accelerating the digital transformation. Instead of sporadic cooperation, the aim is to establish permanent networking activities.

The builders of the prerequisites for a digital health network eagerly await to see whether a digital health and well-being technology competence network will be created in Finland on the basis of the proposal of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment in Finland and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. Solutions are still required as to the funding and the ultimate scale and form of the network.

A report on the needs of the sector based on the views of research, business sector and healthcare system representatives was prepared in June, followed by proposals regarding the goals and tasks of the competence network in October. Stakeholders from all five cities with university hospitals are involved in the preparations.

Professor Jarmo Reponen explains that the digital health network has worked to link operators together and establish a common image of Finland in digital health.
“There is a strong will to build long-term network cooperation and improve the flow of information and the division of work,” says Project Manager Veera Virta from the University of Oulu.

The vision of the network is to be an internationally renowned and recognised pioneer that promotes sustainable growth and well-being by accelerating the digital transformation.
The international aspect did not arise directly from the needs identified by individual operators. According to Virta, internationality would require a change in the way people think as well as motivation to start promoting Finnish competence as a united front.

“The challenges of export and international growth can be tackled more effectively in closer cooperation with other Finnish operators, both private and public ones,” says Virta.


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