Organisation
This page contains information on the organisation and decision-making structure of the Finnish Medical Association.
The Finnish Medical Association
The decision-making bodies of the Finnish Medical Association are the Council and the Supervisory Board. The sub-divisions bring together doctors by specialty. Each member has the opportunity to participate in the activities through regional committees and local chapters if they wish.
Council
The highest decision-making power in the Medical Association is exercised by a 60-member Council, which defines the guidelines and strategy of the association’s operations, approves the budget and elects the chairmen of the association and members of the Supervisory Board. The members of the Council are chosen by election every three years.
Supervisory Board
The activities of the Finnish Medical Association are managed by the Supervisory Board, which ensures the implementation of the Council’s decisions. The Board is responsible for the association’s finances and decides on the composition of the various institutions that comprise the Association’s operational framework. In addition to promotion of interests, the meetings discuss, among other things, health policy, ethics and education.
Permanent Divisions
The Permanent Divisions prepare issues that are central to the activities of doctors and the association. There are four Divisions established by the Supervisory Board.
- The Health Policies Division prepares health policy and healthcare policy matters, as well as quality and information system matters.
- The Profession Division prepares matters related to interest promotion in education, ethics and collegiality matters.
- The Interest Promotion Division prepares matters related to the promotion of earnings and employment interests
- The Private Sector Division focuses on interest promotion for doctors working in medical clinics and insurance companies, among other things.
Sub-divisions
The sub-divisions of the Finnish Medical Association bring together doctors by specialty or based on other common goals. There are approximately 30 sub-divisions in total. Their activities focus on interest promotion and organising interest promotion training. The sub-divisions provide the association with statements and provide valuable information on the specific needs of different specialties.
You can become a member of a specialty sub-division if you are a member of the Finnish Medical Association and have a specialty in the field in question. Some of the sub-divisions (private practitioners, physician work supervisors, healthcare administrative and management physicians) are applied for by sending a short application. The sub-divisions do not charge separate membership fees.
For more information about the sub-divisions, please contact the member services secretary.
Collegiality Council
The Collegiality Council oversees conciliation and honor matters among FMA members. It deals with collegiality among members and compliance with ethical guidelines and collegiality guidelines. The Collegiality Council, which consists of physicians, includes a chairperson and eight members, who are elected by the FMA’s Council for three years at a time.
Collaboration with other medical associations
The Finnish Medical Association works in close cooperation with medical organisations, such as the Finnish Association of Specialist Physicians, the Finnish Association of General Practitioners, the Association of Young Physicians and the Finnish Association of Senior Physicians. The Medical Students’ Association also has representatives in several of the FMA’s institutions.
Regional activities
The diverse regional activities of the Finnish Medical Association consist of committees, five district chief physicians and local departments. Each member has the opportunity to participate in the activities through regional committees and local chapters if they wish.
Committees
In each university hospital city (Helsinki, Turku, Tampere, Kuopio, Oulu) there are three committees of the Medical Association: the Health Policies Committee, the Profession Committee and the Interest Promotion Committee. The committees include doctors from all sectors and from the areas of most hospital districts. Students are also represented.
The committees participate in the preparation of national statements, present the views of members and take a stand on local issues.
The Interest Promotion Committee deals with matters related to interest promotion and the versatile practice of medicine.
The Profession Committee influences the basic and specialist education at universities. It also deals with issues related to collegiality, ethics and medical doctors’ well-being.
The Health Policies Committee takes a position on regional and national health policy and healthcare policy issues. It brings the opinions of doctors in their own region to the association’s national health policy work. The practical work of the committees is coordinated by the district chief physician.
District chief physicians
District chief physicians carry out the FMA’s work in five co-operation areas. They maintain contact with regional stakeholders and co-operate with the region’s shop stewards, local chapters and medical students. District chief physicians are responsible for the work of the regional committees and their member events.
If you want the FMA to take into account a local problem or plan, please contact the district chief physician.
Local chapters
Every member of the association automatically belongs to the local chapter in their place of work or residence and is welcome to participate in the activities of the local chapter.
There are approximately 35 local chapters in central hospital locations and many smaller towns as well.
Local chapters bring together doctors for interest promotion issues and informal social activities. Local chapters support shop stewards and can take a stand on, for example, workplace-specific interest supervision issues and healthcare issues in their area.
For more information about local chapters, please contact the member services secretary.
The FMA office
The office of the Finnish Medical Association employs nearly 60 professionals from various fields.