Aims and Activities

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Aims and activities

The Finnish Medical Association (FMA) is a professional organization of which almost all doctors practising in Finland are members. Values promoted by the Association include advancement of medical expertise, humanity, ethics, and collegiality. The Association binds its members together to support these values, and represents their common professional, social and economic interests. FMA was established in 1910.

The Central aims of the Finnish Medical Association

To maintain a high standard of professional ethics
To encourage good fellowship among physicians
To safeguard physicians´ economic interests and working conditions
To participate in the creation of a health policy and development of health care
To develop the work of physicians and raise their professional standard

The Association also works in numerous ways to develop health care and advance medical expertise, on the basis of the professional knowledge of its entire membership.The Association is active in relation to ethical issues and safeguarding of the interests of doctors and patients, in Finland and internationally.

FMA participates in the activities of the major international medical organizations World Medical Association (WMA), Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME), European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), European Union of General Practitioners (UEMO), and Nordic Medical Council (NLR).

The Finnish Medical Journal appears every week and is distributed to all members.

TRADE UNION MATTERS

The FMA is recognised as one of the strongest and most influential professional organisations in Finland. Medical practitioners are highly educated experts, whose remuneration should reflect their professional status and demands. The development of salaries paid to doctors working in the public sector has been unsatisfactory for a long period. This led to a strike by doctors in the municipal sector in 2001.

As a result of the strike, which lasted for over five months, salaries were increased. The improvements in professional remuneration also involve negotiation at local level. Individual practitioners also have to negotiate their remuneration individually with their employers. Adaptation to this new culture involving negotiation is difficult for many Finnish doctors, since the public sector remuneration system has been agreed centrally for decades.

On-call duties and high workloads are stressful to the members of the medical profession. The problems are greatest in small remote communities served by only a few doctors. This is why many Finnish medical practitioners have sought to leave the public sector and establish private practices, undertake medical research, work abroad or retire early. This has led to a shortage of doctors in many places.

Cooperation with Academic unions

The FMA is a member of the Confederation of Unions for Academic Professionals in Finland (AKAVA). There is particularly close collaboration with the Finnish Dental Association and the Finnish Veterinary Association, with both of which the FMA has formed a negotiating body.

Updated 12.10.2005 klo 16:29

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