Features
Migrants’ digital competences and health information in Finland
TODAY, I focus on migrants’ digital competences and health information in Finland, a move away from the topic of personalities or groups and their accomplishments within the Ghanaian community in Finland that I have been writing on.
Worldwide, one problem faced by healthcare delivery services as well as peoples and especially patients is the provision of health information, and how patients are able to access such information.
Of late, I have been thinking about the situation of migrants or minorities in the context of their digital competences and access to health information. One can imagine the potential challenges migrants may face in accessing information, whether one looks at it as a drawback of the healthcare delivery services or the migrants’ own lack of skill.
Good Finnish healthcare services
Finland has a very good healthcare delivery system and social services accessible to all residents in the country. Information about healthcare delivery services is provided for every citizen.
Many migrants, including those in the Ghanaian community, are aware of these opportunities and are expected to take advantage of such chances. But research indicates that migrants or people with a culturally and linguistically diverse background face challenges in accessing health information.
Finnish government and health authorities have been promoting digitalisation of personal health records and aspects of healthcare services, although research has shown that some older migrants, for example, face barriers such as not having an e-ID in order to access information digitally.
Generally, patients and others need information about health, prognosis and treatment or care in order to ensure prevention or therapy for diseases, especially the chronic or life-threatening ones.
According to the World Health Organisation, chronic diseases and life-threatening illnesses are increasing worldwide in terms of morbidity and mortality. In most advanced countries such as Finland, healthcare delivery services have gone highly digital in order to ensure faster and undoubtedly an effective way of rendering health care.
Almost everywhere, research and other reports have shown that there are barriers or challenges faced by migrants in the digital systems of the countries they live in. For example, according to reports in some countries in Europe, including Finland, during the COVID-19 period, some of the barriers to public health messaging were the potentially lower levels of proficiency of migrants in the host country’s (majority) language.
Migrants’ health and wellbeing are affected by many factors, including cultural ideas of health, illnesses, and the prevention, treatment and symptoms of illnesses (see www.thl.fi). It is accepted that factors to improve health and wellbeing must be supported.
Digitalisation and access to health information
I think this is the time for Ghanaian migrants in Finland to acquire digital skills or competences in order to have an optimal benefit of the healthcare services and enhance their integration into the Finnish society.
As I have mentioned already, research and other reports have also shown that migrants or minorities face challenges accessing information due to language and other barriers. For example, there are potentially lower levels of awareness, perceptions of risk, and misconceptions not addressed in public health guidance and the national response.
Knowledge about digital competence and accessing health information among minorities such as Ghanaian/African migrants should be taken seriously, especially by the migrants themselves.
Enhancing Integration
Digital competence will thus undoubtedly be a good way to enhance integration. According to the Finnish health department, health and wellbeing are an important part of the integration process.
• Digital skills is a necessity
Migrant associations may help the health authorities and formally create awareness among their members and other migrants, usually in collaboration with some Finnish institutions, and are thus an important tool for several migrants to be positively active and to get their interest and concerns heard.
As I wrote previously, the role of migrant associations acting as bridge-builders for the integration and inclusion of migrants through participation in the decision-making process and by acting as a representative voice is highly appreciated in Finland.
The social media outlets have become an important means for disseminating information and it could be a key medium through which migrant groups or associations and other institutions could educate people.
Thank you
By Perpetual Crentsil
perpetualcrentsil@yahoo.com
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THE typical itinerant salesman in Sikaman is a herbalist. He is normally a slim macho with the capacity to perambulate the expanse of area covering the triangle of Accra-Tema-Ashiaman. In short, he can walk a total of 60 miles a day, marketing a product that cures every disease, including poverty. 
The door-to-door herbal pharmacist advertises his product by word of mouth. He has nothing to do with the Food and Drugs Board (FDB). After all, his concoctions do not feature on FM stations.
Those herbalists who cannot walk to propagate the herbal gospel, liaise with drivers of mass transportation and their mates. They are, therefore, given the chance to sell their products on Benz buses that ply the routes.
Normally, the herbalist starts his sales message with a prayer and Bible study. He asks the passengers to bow down their heads in supplication to God the father, the son, the Holy Spirit.
When a herbalist asks the passengers to close their eyes and bow their heads, Moslems on board naturally feel offended. They feel that the herbalist has no right to assume that every passenger is a Christian. They think such an assumption is an affront to Islam.
So a Moslem on board will raise the hand for a point of order. He’ll remind the herbalist that it would be in his own interest to mind his language.
“Be careful the way you address people in a public place. Not every person here is a Christian,” he’d state assertively.
Of course, the herbalist will promptly ignore him, but would all the same “watch” his tongue. Who knows whether or not the Moslem brother is inspired by Quoranic zeal to defend the tenets of Islam to the hilt?
When he starts saying, “Wallahi!” and “Inshallah!” it could be the beginning of proclaiming Islam as supreme, a point which must be driven home with talibanic precision.
So the herbalist must tread carefully lest he steps on fire.
The herbalist could even add a measure of mirth to it all, by announcing that Christians on board today have very interesting company on the journey, but that should not detract from the business of the day.
The Moslem brother will weigh the words carefully and offer a wry smile.
He must be careful the occasion does not degenerate into the use of semantics and proverbial oration to deride his conviction that public utterances must be mindful of religious sensibilities. He has made his point very clear and expects that it is taken in good faith in the interest of a peaceful journey.
The herbalist will now open the New Testament and preach salvation, stating clearly that salvation can come only through Jesus Christ and NOBODY else.
The Moslem brother will now start twitching his moustache. The visible and almost revolutionary reflexes of his upper lip can be an indication that sentiments have begun superseding reason, and the outcome could well be tragic now shift uneasily in his seat.
The time has come for him to also express his right to the religion of his fore-bears. He’ll put his hand into his pocket and rise to his feet. The time has indeed come!
This article was first published on Saturday, September 9, 2006
When the cause of a particular problem like sickness, disease, sudden illness, a social issue etc. are not known, it stands to reason that resolving it becomes a huge challenge.
Citizens would understand the government when public announcements are made to the effect that government is trying to find a solution to the issue, even though it is taking a while for it to be resolved because citizens are rational beings.
On the other hand, if the solution to a particular issue is known to everybody but the government for whatever reason, is dragging its feet in resolving it, citizens become frustrated and begin to lose trust in their leaders.
One such issue is the heavy traffic along a section of the Kasoa – Odokor road. A short stretch of bad road between the traffic light at the Weija Government Hospital and the entrance to the entrance of the overhead that leads to the N1, is the cause of the problem but nothing is being done about it, day after day, week after week, month after month. Thus is clearly unacceptable.
Another issue that requires urgent attention is the lack of pavements along a lot of streets in parts of the various Municipal Assemblies. Exercise is a prerequisite for long life and healthy living and for those of us who it has become a way of life, this issue of people putting up structures right to the edge of the drains beside the roads, are making life difficult for us.
We are compelled to walk along the roads, putting our lives at serious risk. Pedestrians should never be compelled to compete with vehicles on our streets and roads. Roads and streets are made for vehicles and pavements are made for pedestrians. That is the norm. Any attempt to normalise a situation where pedestrians are mingling with vehicles is insanity.
It is the road regulations that makes it so and therefore district or municipal assemblies are to take responsibility and ensure that spaces for pavements are not encroached upon. Citizens have rights that must be protected by their leaders and making pavements available to pedestrians, is one of them.
When we hear of teachers having sex with students, it appears it is something recent. It is not a new phenomenon. It has been there since Adam. Perhaps this issue is getting much attention due to the proliferation of social media. It was an open secret in times past when Teachers were in relationships with female students and some married them immediately after completion of school.
Some teachers were also known to be having unholy interactions with female pupils but due to the times that these acts occurred, human rights issues and the awareness around it, allowed such unscrupulous teachers to get away with their crimes.
Now we are in a different era and so a Headmaster is now in hot waters. He is alleged to have raped about 19 female students and as usual, some officials tried to cover it up and are also in hot waters and their actions or inactions in the matter are under investigation.
Why the man has been allowed to roam freely without being arrested is simply mind boggling. It appears that the law applies differently, depending on who you are. This issue came to public attention sometime in August this year, yet the police had not arrested or invited this man for question regarding the rape allegation.
It has come out that he is a Constituency Secretary of the ruling party and the question in the public domain is that, is it because he is a political figure that is why he is still walking around without questioning? I believe in the rule of law so let us hold our breadth and let the proper thing be done.
The police must however be seen to be active in this matter. God bless.
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