Eloisa boasts shortest treatment queues in Finland, says health director

In the South Savo welfare area, Eloisa boasts the shortest treatment queues in Finland. We spoke with Kimmo Kuosmanen, the director of health services for the welfare area, to understand how this is achieved.

“Our long-term work in specialized healthcare, good capacity, two central hospitals, and dedicated staff are key factors,” Kuosmanen noted. Eloisa’s treatment queues have consistently been shorter than those in many other regions. He acknowledged that the previous administrations also maintained a good situation regarding wait times. According to Kuosmanen, the treatment pathways for specialized care are effectively organized, and the surgical efficiency is commendable. A treatment pathway refers to the journey a patient takes from referral to the first outpatient visit, through preventative examinations, and finally to the surgery itself.

“Strong leadership and effective treatment pathways are crucial for meeting care guarantees,” he emphasized. South Savo has the oldest population in Finland, along with one of the highest rates of illness. However, the optimal functioning of both treatment pathways and leadership contributes to the short waiting times.

Additionally, Eloisa performs surgeries for patients from other welfare areas. Despite this, Kuosmanen claims that there is currently more surgical capacity than needed, with staffing levels being the limiting factor. Approximately half of the joint replacement patients at Savonlinna Hospital come from outside South Savo, primarily from neighboring regions of North Savo and North Karelia. Kuosmanen believes that shorter waiting times are likely the reason patients choose Eloisa.

However, significant savings negotiations have been initiated, and the operations at Savonlinna Hospital may face cuts due to budget pressures. Kuosmanen remains optimistic that South Savo can maintain its favorable surgical wait time situation by centralizing more complex surgeries in Mikkeli while keeping day surgeries and short-term surgeries in Savonlinna. A proposed law could ultimately end joint replacement surgeries in Savonlinna.