This document provides information about the Finnish Medical Association (FMA). It discusses the FMA's tasks of advancing the medical profession, uniting doctors, safeguarding doctors' interests, and promoting health and patient interests. It notes that the FMA was established in 1910 and currently has over 24,000 members, making it the largest professional organization for physicians in Finland. The document also provides details on FMA leadership and organizational structure, as well as benefits of membership.

1. Finnish Medical Association FMA
Sami Heistaro
MD PhD MBA
Senior District Physician, Educational Advisor
sami.heistaro@laakariliitto.fi
THL, June 3, 2016

2. Sami Heistaro
Education
• MD, Univ Helsinki, 1998
• PhD, Univ Helsinki, 2002
• Specialist in Public Health Medicine, 2004
• MBA, HSE, 2008
Positions
• KTL (THL) 1998-2008
• Post Doc Australia 2005-2006, USA 2007
• Part-time clinical work
• GSK 2008-2010
• Mehiläinen 2011-2015
• FMA Nov 2014–present
• Positions of trust in many organisations (e.g. LKS, HYY, NLY, FMA >20 years)
• Local politics, City of Helsinki 2000-
• sami.heistaro@laakariliitto.fi

3. About FMA
Tasks:
• Advance the medical
profession
• Unite doctors as a professional
community
• Safeguard doctors’ interests
• Promote health and the best
interests of the patient
• Defend humanity and ethical
values in Finland and
internationally

4. FMA
• Established in 1910 – 100th year anniversary 2010
• Professional organization and Trade Union – voluntary membership
• Values promoted by the Association include advancement of medical
expertise, humanity, ethics, and collegiality
• The Association also works in numerous ways to develop health care and
advance medical expertise
• FMA is active in relation to ethical issues and safeguarding of the interests
of doctors and patients, in Finland and internationally (member of several
European doctor´s organizations as well as the World Medical Association)
• 93% of physicians living in Finland are members of the Finnish Medical
Association
• In 2015 the Association had 24 993 members, 1 517 of whom were
medical students

5. Level of labor (trade union) organizing in
different countries

7. ORGANISATION OF THE FINNISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
FMA members 24 993
(Delegate Committee elections)
Delegate Committee 60
Board 10
Local
Chapters
National
Subdivisions
3 Sections:
Professionalism
Negotiations
Health Policy
(= 15 regional
committees)
Working
groups
Office 65
Collaboration
bodies

8. Membership in the FMA
• You are welcome to join the FMA once you have been licensed by
Valvira, i.e. been granted permission to practise the profession of a
doctor in Finland, either independently or under the direction and
supervision of another doctor
• Benefits include e.g.
 Patient insurance
 Support for court costs
 Advice from the Association's lawyers
 Finnish Medical Journal
 Online member services
 Education at member prices
 Membership card
 Support for doctors' well-being at work

9. What is Akava?
• FMA is a member association of Akava
• Akava is a trade union confederation of affiliates for highly
educated people. Together, Akava’s 36 affiliates have unionized
more than half a million employees and professionals. The
members of Akava affiliates include employees, as well as
students, entrepreneurs and professionals
• Akava members work in expert, teaching and managerial positions.
Membership in Akava can be based on one’s field of study, degree
or profession
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10. Akava’s mentoring project
•  Since 2015: several contacts to the FMA from refugee and
Finnish colleagues regarding the current situation of refugee
colleagues: advise, speeches, individual contacts
• In Spring 2016, Akava has started a mentoring project in collaboration
with its member associatios, including the FMA
• The purpose is to facilitate the distribution of practical, sector-specific
information and experiences about e.g. required training and getting a
job in Finland for highly educated refugee professionals, e.g. doctors
and dentists
• The idea is to provide a possibility for them to regularly meet a
colleague (or a pair of colleagues) in or close to the city where they live
e.g. 3 to 5 meetings, language usually English, provided guidelines
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11. Next steps
• Finding potential mentors, Summer / Fall 2016–
• Finding potential refugee professionals who wish to be mentored
• Start of the mentoring, Fall 2016–
• Q’s:
 Interest for being mentored?
 Willing to be interviewed (for the purpose of ”advertizing” the
project for FMA members?)
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12. THANK YOU! KIITOS!