Finland is one of the leading countries in cancer treatment. Yet, there is room for improvement. Now, HUCH Comprehensive Cancer Center, Novartis Finland, UPM, HealthSPA, Helsinki Business Hub and Sitra are together launching the Kertomalla paranee (‘improve by sharing’) project that aims to identify the real needs of patients and find new solutions.
In the first stage of the project, patients, their close ones and healthcare professionals and researchers are asked to suggest areas of improvement concerning the daily life of cancer patients. In the second stage, the parties participating in the project assist in finding solutions by connecting real needs and start-up companies and SMEs developing the solutions.
”Even if the outcomes of cancer treatment are at the cutting edge and Finland is also one of the leading countries in technological innovations related to health, the solutions do not always meet the needs of the identified problems. Therefore, we decided to make things happen. The Kertomalla paranee project is looking for new solutions through crowdsourcing to improve the daily life of patients and to develop their treatment. Our goal is to simply enable better treatment and daily life for cancer patients,” says Tuula Helander, Development Manager at HUCH Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Suggestions for improvement can be sent by anyone through the website at kertomallaparanee.fi.
Areas of development need implementers
Finland has plenty of technological know-how, innovation and will to find new solutions. However, even good ideas may never become widely known or be refined enough to meet patients’ needs.
”Only by sharing we can improve things. That is why we hope that as many people as possible would share their experiences on how the daily life of cancer patients, cancer research or healthcare could be improved,” says Kenneth Salonius from HealthSPA. “In the second stage of the project, we bring together the patients’ ideas for development and the innovative start-up companies and SMEs developing the solutions.”
The parties support the finding of new solutions in many ways; through their industry and financial expertise and wide network of contacts. Innovation can be more than, for example, a technical aid.
”An idea or solution can also be a small thing, for example a new practice that has a significant impact on the patient’s treatment experience, coping with daily life or receiving information. Many things can be affected immediately by changing practices or making the waiting areas more pleasant,” Tuula Helander points out. HUCH Comprehensive Cancer Center aims to pilot the new solutions. Adding to the significance of the project is also the fact that it enables collaboration between public healthcare and the private sector in Finland.
Read more about Kertomalla paranee project in English from here.
Visit the website (in Finnish): kertomallaparanee.fi
Further information:
Mr. Kimmo Koponen
Senior Business Advisor, Helsinki Business Hub
Tel. +358 44 757 2244
kimmo.koponen@hbh.fi
