General

ETENE, or the National Advisory Board on Health Care Ethics, was established at the beginning of April, 1998, under the Act on the Status and Rights of Patients (785/1992, amendment 333/1998). The Advisory Board deals with ethical issues related to health care and the status and rights of patients from the point of view of principle. It can also take initiatives and issue advisory opinions and recommendations on ethical health care issues and foster discussion on them within Finnish society. The Board provides expert assistance with the development of health care and relevant legislation, and collects and distributes information on ethical questions involved in health care and related international discussion, technological advances in health care and the ensuing ethical issues. (Decree on the National Advisory Board on Health Care Ethics 494/1998.)

The Advisory Board comprises a chairperson, a vice chairperson and 18 members. Each member has a personal deputy. The chairman for October 1, 1998 to October 1, 2002, is Martti Lindqvist and the vice chairman is Risto Pelkonen. The members of the Board must be familiar with ethical health care issues. They represent health service users and providers, health care professionals, jurisprudence, health sciences and ethics. At least four of ETENE's members are appointed from among the Members of Parliament in proportion to the number of seats held by the various political parties. The Board employs a full-time Secretary-General and a secretary. It operates under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

The Advisory Board has a Sub-Committee on Medical Research Ethics (TUKIJA) which supports regional ethics commissions in ethical matters of principle related to medical and other health care research and assists it in providing suitable training in these fields. It also issues ethical assessments of international studies carried out in Finland and those that have received negative reviews from the ethics commissions of individual hospital districts. The Sub-Committee also arranges training and issues instructions and recommendations in ethical issues related to research.

ETENE has been involved in planning and implementing joint training for nurses, physicians, hospital districts' ethics commissions, university researchers and students, and hospital theologians. A further function is to supply health service users, i.e. all of us, with information on the ethical issues involved in health care.

This website is one of our information channels, and we would like it to reach as wide an audience as possible. These pages contain information on ETENE operations and links to the websites of other similar bodies in Finland and abroad. We'd be glad to receive feedback on our work through the 'Your turn' page of this website. We welcome suggestions on new forms of operation and website content.

Ritva Halila (ritva.halila(at)stm.fi),
General Secretary

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