International criticism
Finland is facing international criticism on their functional disorder / BPS-model approach on long COVID and ME/CFS>
David Tuller wrote an article about this topic:
“The latest on this(biopsychosocial approach of ME) front is an upcoming gathering in Finland that provides a platform to leading lights of the CBT/GET/’amygdala retraining” ideological brigades. Sponsored by Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUS) and scheduled for March 16th, it is called “Navigating the Unknown: Exploring Realities and Best Practices for Long Covid.”
Here are some of the questions the conference promises to explore: “What is the difference between long Covid and Post Intensive Care Syndrome? What are the relations of Long Covid and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)? Are there some risk factors for developing symptoms of Long Covid?” Well, that all sounds reasonable enough.
Then there’s this: “This symposium will focus on the bio-psycho-social aspects of this disorder.” Uh, oh! More biopsychosocial propaganda.
Millions Missing Finland, an ME/CFS advocacy organization, has tweeted concerns about the gathering. In a thread that highlighted the problematic views of most of those presenting, the organization noted that “we find the speaker list peculiar and worrying.”
ME/CFS not included in functional disorders in North Savo
Wellbeing Services County of North Savo (Pohjois-Savon hyvinvointialue) has stated that ME/CFS is not included in functional disorders and they will follow the National consensus guideline (Duodecim 2021) in treating ME/CFS.
Wellbeing Services County of North Savostate:
“Chronic fatigue syndrome does not belong to functional disorders. It might be necessary to exclude CFS when diagnosing functional disorders. Diagnostics and treatment related to chronic fatigue syndrome follow the national consensus guideline.”
The Duodecim-guideline reads:
“In the last supplementary budget of 2018, the Finnish Parliament allocated funding to the Finnish Medical Association Duodecim (Duodecim) to develop a treatment recommendation on this topic. The funding was granted as a state grant through the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
Duodecim has a long experience in developing evidence-based treatment recommendations (Current Care Recommendations). Chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) had previously been proposed as a topic for a Current Care Recommendation. At that time, Duodecim considered that there was not enough high-quality research literature on this topic to make a recommendation for a Current Care Recommendation. With funding from Parliament, Duodecim decided to develop a treatment recommendation using the consensus method. The consensus procedure and the differences with the Current Care Recommendations are described in the supplementary information document “Chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) Good Practice Consensus Recommendation”.
The Finnish Duodecim 2021 guideline for ME/CFS is based on the NICE 2021 Guideline.
There are no nation wide plans on implementation of the new Guideline yet and hospital districts regard ME/CFS very differently, which leads to Finnish ME/CFS patients being in a very unequal position subject to their location. For example Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS) still regards and treats ME/CFS as a functional disorder, which is against the principles of the Finnish national consensus guideline 2021.
Statement Finnish Non-Discrimination Ombudsman & decision Insurance Court
In the last issue of ME Global Chronicle we mentioned that The Finnish Non-Discrimination Ombudsman had given a statement regarding an Insurance Court case of ME/CFS-patients, that rejecting a disability pension by citing a lack of sufficient objective evidence is problematic.
The Insurance Court has made a decision in favor of the insurance company and considers the decision to reject disability pension based on ME/CFS diagnosis legal. The Insurance Court evades the Finnish Non-Discrimination Ombudsmans` statement by referring now to “lack of organic evidence” instead of “lack of objective evidence” which was the term used before. The burden of evidence with ME/CFS patients only grow when “organic” is required instead of “objective”, the question of equality in reference to other diseases and conditions also grows.
Article about Jonna, a severely affected ME-patient
Helsingin uutiset 21.2.2023:
“Jonna, 40, is bedridden, but the insurance company thinks she could work – The disability pension decision is based on the diagnosis, not the actual ability to function”. (article in Finnish, use DeepL)
If Jonna Strandén, 40, from Helsinki, has a good day, she can go outdoors near her home in a wheelchair or on an electric scooter. On a bad day, she rests in bed, unable even to feed herself.
“I was just wondering when I last went out. I think it was in January when I went to the doctor. Before that, I was out in December”.
Strandén is 90% bedridden and, according to the doctors, unable to work. However, she has already had her application for sickness benefit rejected twice, the latter of which is currently on appeal.
Helsingin Uutiset (lit. ’News from Helsinki’) is a free newspaper that has been published in Helsinki, Finland since the early 2020 as six different local editions twice a week, on Wednesdays and weekends. The newspaper has a total of 350 thousand readers.
Submitted by Helga Lahtinen, Millions Missing Finland
The ME Global Chronicle 