Reorganization of Local Health Care System through Municipal Cooperation-a Comparative Study between Finland and Japan-

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In Finland municipalities are responsible for health care services. Faced with the challenge of an ageing society and globalization, since 2007 Finland has been going through a fundamental reform of the municipal and service supply systems. As a result of this reform the population base of primary health care has been enlarged to 20,000, accelerating municipal cooperation and amalgamation. The new health care law of May 2011, which gives residents more freedom in choosing care units, is expected to solve the problem of chronically delayed access to public health care. As for Japan, a study has been made of municipal health care cooperation in the Naka-Sorachi District of Hokkaido. The study is reported here.