Samfundet Folkhälsan, or in short Folkhälsan (literally "Public Health"), is a

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

based in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. It is active in advocating social welfare and health care for the Swedish speakers of Finland. The organization carries out scientific research and informs and counsels in order to promote health and good quality of life. Folkhälsan’s activities include assistance, support, education, and care, being present at every stage of life. Founded in 1921, Folkhälsan employs today approximately 1,400 people. Our local associations across Swedish-speaking Finland have almost 19,000 members. Folkhälsan works towards a society where health and quality of life are central concerns. The organization was founded in 1921 by Ossian Schauman and a number of other doctors who wanted to reduce

child mortality Child mortality is the mortality of children under the age of five. The child mortality rate, also under-five mortality rate, refers to the probability of dying between birth and exactly five years of age expressed per 1,000 live births. It en ...

and cases of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

in Finland. The NGO was combining practical work with research already from the very start. About 100 researchers do research into inheritable diseases and illnesses attributed to

lifestyles Lifestyle often refers to: * Lifestyle (sociology), the way a person lives * ''Otium'', ancient Roman concept of a lifestyle * Style of life (german: Lebensstil, link=no), dealing with the dynamics of personality Lifestyle may also refer to: Bus ...

. A further 1,400 persons work for, and some 19,000 persons pay membership to the organization. Folkhälsan funds its activities by selling its services to the municipalities. Certain municipalities, like the town of

Karis Karis (; fi, Karjaa ) is a town and former municipality in Finland. On January 1, 2009, it was consolidated with Ekenäs and Pohja to form the new municipality of Raseborg; fi, Raasepori. It is located in the Finnish province of Southern F ...

, have allocated its entire health care to Folkhälsan. The NGO has also activities within

child care Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...

and the care of the elderly. Further sources of income are private donations and funding from the Finnish Slot Machine Association (RAY).

External links

Folkhälsan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Folkhalsan Medical and health organisations based in Finland 1921 establishments in Finland