DIGI CITIZEN

KELA

Kela touches our lives from birth to death. Kela supports the lives of Finns in all life situations.

My current situation is such that I am not applying for any benefits, but Kela appears in my life as follows: If I buy prescription medicines, I receive Kela compensation for them. Similarly, if I use private healthcare or dental care, Kela pays a certain portion of the costs.

Both of our children have moved out to study elsewhere. While studying, they receive housing support and student financial aid. Our eldest daughter was on a student exchange in Germany and she also received student financial aid during that time. Students also get Kela-supported student meals. When taking out a student loan, the government guarantees the interest on the loan entirely.

In case of illness, Kela pays various daily allowances for work absence.

For years, I have ordered a European Health Insurance Card for myself and my children, and now Kela automatically sends a new card.

KANTA

OmaKanta is very familiar to me due to my previous job, and of course, I also use it for personal matters. My mother has authorized me to act on her behalf in OmaKanta.

You can log into OmaKanta if you have a strong electronic identification method. Through OmaKanta, prescription renewals are convenient, and you can check your health information. Depending on the patient information system and how the texts are transferred to Kanta, there may be situations where health information does not appear in OmaKanta. This can be influenced by the competence and practices of the healthcare staff, in how visits are linked to service pathways. Hopefully, these issues are now resolved in the currently used patient information systems.

Healthcare professionals often rely on the patient to read follow-up care instructions in OmaKanta. This is not always the case if a citizen does not have credentials or the skills for strong identification, and not everyone necessarily has close relatives who could act on their behalf.

OmaKanta contains health texts from various service providers, but for example, social service information will be fully integrated into OmaKanta by 2026. Users can also prohibit their information from being visible to other professionals, which can complicate patient care if, for example, primary healthcare professionals cannot see information from the private sector.

In the future, OmaKanta should be developed so that information from personal wellness devices, such as the Oura ring or smartwatches, can be uploaded there. These provide good health data that healthcare professionals could also use.

KEVA

I couldn’t find any pension information on the Keva website. I was able to calculate an old-age pension estimate on the Ilmarinen website. The target retirement age is 68 years. If one could continue working until the age of 70, where the pension accrues, the pension would increase by over 200 euros per month in two years.

DIGITAL SERVICES/STORES

Personally, I have used Booking.com and Trivago. Prices may be slightly lower compared to local stores. Generally, these shops are reliable, but one can never be too sure. It’s always advisable to make purchases with a credit card; if something goes wrong, there’s a chance to get the lost money back through the bank.

SERVICE FROM MY FIELD/OMA OLO

Omaolo is a national social and healthcare online service aimed at promoting the health and well-being of citizens. Omaolo supports self-care and helps, if necessary, to get in touch with public healthcare professionals.

Omaolo is very familiar to me because in my previous job I was involved in implementing this service in the organization and building the background for the program. Omaolo’s symptom checker is a handy system where a customer can answer questions about specific symptoms, and the service guides them on how to proceed based on the symptoms. The background is programmed so that in serious situations, the customer is directed to contact healthcare professionals immediately, or in non-urgent care, the service may also enable electronic appointment booking. Services depend on what different organizations have built.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the corona symptom checker was very popular, and Omaolo’s use spread widely in Finland.

This system reduces patient contacts and calls to healthcare professionals, especially if appointment booking is also integrated into the background.

DIGITALIZATION AND THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

People who lack skills or cannot use digital communication for financial reasons may feel isolated in terms of communication or community participation. Many services may be offered only digitally, putting people at a disadvantage. Special attention should be paid to the accessibility of services, especially in health and social care. Nowadays, banking services are mostly available online, and there can be long distances to brick-and-mortar services.

A lack of digital skills can even hinder employment since many jobs require digital proficiency.

The internet provides information on many services and news. Without access to the internet, people can miss out on up-to-date information. Many training programs are also conducted online, and a lack of digital skills can prevent participation in these programs.

Online shopping can offer great deals with lower prices and discounts. Managing financial matters can be more challenging since many payments are made digitally.

The state should provide citizens with education and support measures to ensure that everyone can fully participate in the opportunities offered by digitalization.

SELF-REFLECTION

Since I work in the digital field, I feel that as a digital citizen, I have quite extensive knowledge and skills. This assignment required familiarizing oneself with information from Kela, OmaKanta, and Keva. These areas are very familiar to me and didn’t add much to my current expertise. Similarly, the use of digital stores is familiar and natural to me. It is, of course, important to occasionally stop and consider the use of digital services, their risks, and challenges. These topics have been covered in my current studies. The most interesting part was reading the writings of other bloggers.

I COMMENT THESE BLOGS:

• DIGI CITIZEN – Miiamaaria’s thoughts (savonia.fi) 

Hi Miiamaaria, 

The digital clinic services of private health centers are really functional and convenient, and in some respects, more advanced compared to the digital services of public healthcare. The public sector still has a lot of room for improvement when it comes to digital services. 

I agree with the digitalization of services. While digitalization increases the availability of certain things, they are not necessarily accessible to everyone. It is also very unfortunate when small village brick-and-mortar stores go bankrupt because products are ordered cheaper online. Especially handling banking and self-care related matters online can exclude those with fewer digital skills from even basic services. 

• Digi Citizen – Anu Learning Digi (wordpress.com) 

Hi Anu

I also use Teams for everything at work. Since I work from home, a digital work platform is essential for my daily routine. Teams is incredibly convenient for communication, but also for storing and sharing files. It allows for sharing information with external parties with limited permissions. Additionally, Teams has many other features that I use, and I appreciate that its functionality is continuously being developed. 

I also agree with you that brick-and-mortar services should be preserved, as some matters need to be handled face-to-face rather than through a video connection. 

• DIGI CITIZEN – Susanna’s page (savonia.fi) 
• Hi Susanna, 
• It was interesting to read about the services of Mielenterveystalo in your blog. I think it’s great that people in need of therapy have the option of online therapy, provided they have the necessary devices and skills. This ensures that therapy can be accessed even in remote areas, increasing the availability and accessibility of services. Additionally, it allows individuals to seek help without anyone else knowing, which can be important for those who fear stigma in small towns. However, it’s important to remember that there should also be options for in-person services. Not everything can be managed remotely.