Medicines in health care in Finland

This article provides an overview of the role of medicines in Finnish health care, and the structure of pharmaceutical services. The major public health concerns will be briefly presented to give a gramework for understanding national drug consumption patterns. In this connection, the main principles of the public social insurance system covering the whole population and most of the prescription medications for chronic diseases will be discussed. The different actors in the drug distribution chain are also introduced, including community pharmacies. At the end of the article, there will be a short overview on the Finnish pharmaceutical education system that is based on two academic degreesÖ Bachelor and Master of Science in Pharmacy, both of whick have their own professional roles in health care. At the end, a short review presents the goals of drug policy by 2010, set by the ministry of Social Affairs and Health in September 2003