In Finnish Lapland, future health care comes with a self-service kiosk

Distances are huge and the population sparse. There could be several hundred kilometers to the nearest hospital or health clinic in Lapland, the country’s northernmost region. 

That is the reason why the Aslak Medical Center, a non-profit association in Lapland, is launching its health care kiosk project.

The idea is that locals living in remote villages on their own can connect with professional health care personnel through autonomous self-service points, or «kiosks». It will not weaken health care for locals, project coordinator Helena Lemminkäinen says to the Barents Observer.

«The aim of the process of investigating possibilies to build health-kiosks is NOT to weaken health services in villages. The objective is to try to find new ways to produce and offer extra services which are easy to reach for inhabitants of the villages», she underlines.

The kiosks will have the equipment needed for locals to themselves conduct laboratory tests, blood pressure monitoring, electrocardiograms and lung checks. It can be done through a video link to the Aslak Center and an on-duty nurse or physician.

So far, it is all on the level of testing, but project implementation could come already next year. Over the next months, meetings will be held with local villagers to discuss progress.

«We are now starting the investigation process and we are going to have village meetings to identify concretely the needs of people living in rural area. If everything goes well and if we find also private funding which is necessary to build the kiosks it is possible to see the kiosk on ground in 2017», Lemminkäinen says.

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She adds that the project could have potential major benefits also for other Arctic countries. 

«From our side, we are willing to share experiences and information with relevant partners», she underlines to the Barents Observer.

A preliminary study of the health care project is funded by Pohjoisimman Lapin Leader, a regional develop organisation, Yle News reports. 

The Aslak Medical Center is based in the town of Sodankylä. The operations of the Centre are governed by the Arctic Rescue Helicopter Foundation, a non-profit association. 

The center personnel provides treatment services for both general practitioners and acute cases, and are often referred to as the “Flying Doctors», because of is frequent use of air transportation, the center website informs.