Search
Total rows found: 63
Elections and voting
City Board
[scald=1598:sdl_editor_representation {"link":"","linkTarget":""}]
The city management team is formed by the mayor. Its mission is to achieve the objectives established for the city. Meetings of the management team are called and chaired by the mayor. If necessary, the mayor invites experts to attend the meetings for consultation. The CEO of Navitas Business Services is entitled to attend the meetings of the management team as (s)he sees fit.
Varkaus is an environment-conscious international industrial city founded in 1929. Varkaus is located in North Savo in eastern Finland with the third largest population in the province. At present, Varkaus has 21,000 inhabitants. Geographically, Varkaus enjoys an excellent location – just one and a half hour’s drive from big cities like Kuopio, Mikkeli, Jyväskylä, Savonlinna and Joensuu – and reasonably close to Helsinki (4 hours’ drive). Varkaus is located at the juncture of highways 23 and 5, close to the Saimaa deep-water channel. Efficient rail services are also available. A closely knit network of companies created around the vigorous local export industry offers a wide range of business opportunities. The secondary and higher education institutes in Varkaus offer education and training for future experts and users of services. The Saimaa water system extending up to the city centre, lush natural surroundings and a wide range of sites of interest attract tourists to the region. Among the attractions are the locally produced caviar and sturgeon delicacies as well as the Museum of Mechanical Music, the home of magical instruments. Varkaus’ cityscape has been shaped by renown architects of the early 20th century such as Ivar and Valter Thomé, Karl Lindahl and Alvar Aalto. As a city built around industry, its architecture is unique. This rich cultural heritage is presented by the local museums and their online exhibitions as well as on the Old Varkaus walking tour. The scenic views of Lake Saimaa can be admired on electric vessel and steamship cruises or canoeing tours. Fishing is available in Pirtinvirta in the centre of the city and across a 3000-hectare water area around it. The Linnansaari and Kolovesi natural parks are a paradise for boaters and canoeists and home for the famous Saimaa ringed seal. Taipale Canal offers the opportunity to watch ships passing through locks, while the Canal Museum offers an overview of the construction of the canal.
Private social and healthcare services are complementary to public services. Private service providers such as companies, organisations and foundations may sell their services to municipalities, joint municipal authorities or directly to clients. The role of companies and organisations in the provision of social and healthcare services has been growing throughout the 2000s. As of today, private providers offer more than 25% of all social and healthcare services. The Government’s social and healthcare strategy and the Government programme state that private social and healthcare services are complementary to municipal services and offer alternatives legislation on private social and healthcare services will be harmonised and clarified supervision of the public and private sectors will be harmonised In the future, the need for social and healthcare services will increase in tandem with the growing elderly population. To be able to respond to this need, private services are indispensable. Most common private social services sheltered housing for the elderly home help services for the elderly and disabled institutional and foster care for children and young people child day-care Most common private healthcare services physiotherapy medical and dental surgeries occupational healthcare In 2016, there were close to 19,000 private firms operating in the social and healthcare sector, of which 30 are deemed to be large companies. Of the total, about 17,700 are microbusinesses, 800 small and 120 medium-sized. Additionally, a further one thousand companies operate in the sports and physical exercise sector. The social and healthcare companies employ up to 67,500 people and generate an annual turnover of EUR 6059 million. Consequently, we are talking about a major industry and employer. According to Statistics Finland (2016), there are 900 jobs in North Savo in the ‘Human health and social work activities’ category Q, as defined in the NACE classification. In reality, the actual number is higher because all social and healthcare companies are not classified in this NACE category.
The school healthcare system continues the services provided by the maternity clinic including the routine vaccination programme. School healthcare is preventive by nature. Municipalities are required to organise health check-ups for all pupils once a year. A total of nine health check-ups are carried out for each student during the 9-year comprehensive school. Extensive health check-ups are held for 1st, 5th and 8th-year pupils. Additionally, the school healthcare services offer advice on growth, adolescence, nutrition and diets, rest, sleep as well as physical exercise and sports.
The psychiatric outpatient clinic
The patient charges of those covered by the Finnish health care system are based on the Act and Decree on Customer Charges in Social Welfare and Health Care.
An invitation letter from Varkaus outpatient clinic indicates the date and time of the hospital visit and provides other potential special instructions to enable the patient to prepare for the appointment. Instructions on how to register at the outpatient clinic are also provided. Your personal details and payment information will be checked at the outpatient clinic when you register. If you use automatic registration, your personal details will not be checked at that point. If you wish to have your details checked, contact the patient office for instructions. Please reserve enough time for your appointment at the outpatient clinic. Every effort will be made to keep the time of the appointment indicated in your invitation. You will be informed by the staff of any changes. A bill for the appointment will be sent to your home address.
Everyone who falls ill or is injured in Finland is entitled to emergency medical and dental care irrespective of their country of origin. Each patient is treated until they can safely travel back to their home country, which is primarily responsible for medical care and the cost of care. The fees charged for treatment are determined according to the patient's home country. The provision of medical care services may be based on European Union legislation or other binding social security or medical care agreements with Finland.
Access to medical care is regulated by the Health Care Act : Specialised medical care is only provided by a referral, except in urgent cases. The assessment of the need for care must start within three weeks of the referral receipt date. Any tests and specialist evaluations must be carried out within three months of the referral receipt date. If the examinations indicate that the patient needs hospital care, it must be provided within the following six months. In case of mental health services for children and adolescents under 23, tests and specialist evaluations must be carried out within six weeks of the referral receipt. Care and treatment must be provided within three months of the date when the need for treatment was determined. If the hospital is unable to provide the necessary care for the patient within the specified period of time, it must arrange for the patient to be treated in another hospital district or the private sector. No extra costs will be incurred by the patient as a result of this.
The outpatient clinic offers basic specialized medical care in areas such as diabetes and metabolic disorders, gastroenterology, haematology, infectious diseases, cardiology, lung diseases, neurology, renal diseases and rheumatology. Additionally, the clinic staff includes specialists in ear, nose and throat diseases, dermatology, gynaecology and paediatrics and ophthalmology. Surgical services include gastrointestinal, orthopaedic and hand surgery as well as plastic, urological and vascular surgery. A referral from a physician is always required for non-emergency treatment. A referral to the Varkaus outpatient clinic can be given by your own health centre physician, occupational healthcare physician or private practitioner. No action by the patient is required when a referral is made. The outpatient clinic will book an appointment for you and send an invitation to your home address. Most referrals relate to an appointment with a physician. At the appointment, the physician examines our patient records and general condition, orders tests if necessary and analyses the results, prescribes medications and evaluates symptoms. The appointment may also include various tests, procedures, guidance on further treatment and counselling. Appointments with a specialist may include endoscopic and other examinations, exercise tests and physiological measurements as well as X-rays or laboratory tests. The procedures will be indicated in your invitation. An appointment with a nurse may involve support, guidance and counselling. Some appointments may include follow-up tests related to illness or medical care.
HOME SERVICES HELP PEOPLE COPE AT HOME Home help and home nursing services assist people in daily chores that they are unable to perform independently. Please contact the service advice centre for an assessment of service needs. Before the decision is made to provide home help services, the Pasuuna service advice centre makes an multiprofessional assessment of each individual case. Home care clients need regular services on a daily basis. If the need for assistance is minor, clients are usually referred to private service providers.
Varkaus City and Joroinen Municipality have a shared customer service desk for dental care appointments. The need for care and urgency are assessed when the call to book an appointment is made. Where possible, patients requiring first-aid type of care are treated during the same day, while others are given appointments according to urgency. If the call is not taken, it will be transferred to the answering service which will return your call during the same day. If your number is unlisted, you need to leave it with the answering service. Please note! If you are a new patient, print and complete the following preliminary data form and bring it with you to the appointment.
Each Varkaus resident is designated a healthcare team determined according to their home address. The health centre offers self-care instructions and, if necessary, we make an appointment for you with a nurse or doctor. Many of the regular follow-up appointments can be handled by nurses. Nurses and doctors see patients on the 4th and 5th floors of the health centre. To make an appointment with a nurse or doctor, call the health centre call-back service that will give you instructions. We will call you back twice if you fail to take the first call. From Monday to Thursday after 15.00 and Friday after 13.00, we will return your call only once. Tel. +358 17 5796000. Mon–Thu 08.15–15.00 Fridays and bank holiday eves 08.15 - 13.00 To cancel an appointment, call the same number at any time.
Advice on birth control and family planning. Assistance is also provided with contraception problems and commencement of infertility examinations. The services are provided free of charge. For young people under 20, contraceptives are offered free of charge. Preparations included in the basic medicine supply are dispensed by the family planning clinic and school and student healthcare. Those using contraceptives are advised to make an appointment with the public health nurse at the birth control unit every year.
The child welfare clinic provides services for preschool-aged children and their families. Varkaus Child Welfare Clinic, Savontie 55, 78300 VARKAUS Kangaslampi Child welfare Clinic: Rauhantie 4, 79480 KANGASLAMPI Child welfare clinics seek to promote the health and well-being of children and their families. The clinics monitor children’s physical, psychological and social growth and development. Parents are provided support with upbringing and managing the marital relationship. During the child’s first year, there are typically 9 to 12 appointments depending on individual needs. After that, the public health nurse will see the child and his/her family members when the child turns 18 months and at the age of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. When extensive health checks are carried out, a nurse and a doctor make an assessment of the child’s development, state of health and well-being, and evaluate the family situation and any need for parenting support. When the assessment is made, the parents’ views of the child’s health and development are taken into consideration and, subject to parental approval, the feedback received from early childhood education is used to evaluate how the child is coping in day-care.
Contact the maternity clinic if you suspect that you are pregnant. You may also wish to contact the clinic when planning a pregnancy. The patient relationship with the maternity clinic continues up to the post-natal examination. The maternity clinic offers family services during pregnancy, delivery and puerperium (6 weeks after birth). The efforts focus on preventive measures to increase family wellbeing. The need for care, tests, screening, guidance and advice is assed individually on a case-by-case basis. Additionally, the clinic offers information on the services available. The public health nurse at the maternity clinic acts as your personal adviser who helps your family access the right services at the right time. Don’t hesitate to contact the clinic!
Hyvinvointi Ankkuri