The mission of the National Public Health Institute is to promote people’s ability to lead a healthy life.
The institute monitors, controls and studies public health and the occurrence of diseases, and participates in any necessary testing and reporting operations to promote the health of the Finnish people. One of the institute’s statutory responsibilities is to obtain and distribute the vaccines needed for public vaccinations and to control their quality. Furthermore, the institute is responsible for conducting screening projects as required by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, and for providing forensic laboratory services.
To fulfil its mission, the institute works to provide the best available information for decision-makers, actors in various fields and individual citizens in order to support them in their health-related decisions.
The National Public Health Institute monitors the health of the population and the factors influencing it. Additionally, it develops tools to promote public health and distributes information to decision-makers, actors and individual citizens alike. Together with the relevant authorities, organisations and health experts, the institute participates in the national and international task of health promotion. The institute maintains respective monitoring and information systems. It also modifies data, whether collected by the itself or some other party, for the use of decision-makers and other actors. By its national vaccination provision, the institute provides the Finnish people the best possible protection against infectious diseases.
During 2002, the National Public Health Institute continued its operations with great success. We published a total of 800 reports from our various fields and, in our expert capacity, participated in the development of health promotion and preventive health care in both national and global settings. We have realised the majority of our required goals.
During the year, we published basic reports of the Health 2000 research project and started detailed analysis in different target areas. The Fin-Risk and Fin-Nutrition studies, repeated every five years, were conducted successfully. The institute was an active participant in the launching of the Health 2015 national health programme. On the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health’s initiative, we prepared the indicator system needed to monitor the programme. We started planning the modification of the public health monitoring system, simultaneously with the Information 2005 project by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
The reform of the National Vaccination Programme progressed according to plans. The expert groups that were preparing the sub-programmes finalised their proposals by the beginning of 2002, and the final proposal for the whole reform was completed as scheduled. Last year, we also worked with other focus areas on the prevention of infectious diseases. We engaged in the development a monitoring system for infectious diseases and an information system for epidemics, as well as the prevention of antibiotics resistance. Research on the microbial etiology of chronic national diseases was conducted, and preparatory work for protection from biological hazards was carried out.
The main focus areas of environmental health research were the development of risk assessment, the health hazards caused by building mould and community air pollution as well as health issues related to drinking water. Also last year, the task of the prevention of chronic national diseases focused on the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, mental disorders and disorders of the back and extremities. The three-year programme for analysing the causes of the increasing number of allergies continued during the year. We also started preparing the research programme on demographic health differences to be launched next year.
The renovation of the institute’s premises in Ruskeasuo, Helsinki continues. The renovation will go on until 2005. The work in progress is a considerable impediment to the operation of the institute. In the financial planning for the next few years, we must also prepare for other significant extra costs. Throughout 2003 and 2004, our budget will be burdened by costs arising from the reform of the National Vaccination Programme. A further source of extra costs is the implementation of a new salary system, which will continue for the next two years.