Docrates Cancer Center

Docrates Cancer Center is the first and currently the only private hospital in the Nordic Countries that comprehensively specialises in cancer treatment. It operates in Helsinki, Finland. It characterises its operations as those complementing the public sector. Docrates Oy was established in 2006 and the hospital started its operations at the premises of Eira Hospital in autumn 2007. It moved to its own premises in Jätkäsaari, Helsinki, in 2009, where it has hospital rights. The ward and laboratory of Eira Hospital are in connection with Docrates Cancer Center. Among other things, diagnostics, pharmacotherapy, radiation therapy and isotopic treatments are carried out at the hospital. Cancer surgeries are performed in other hospitals. Docrates also participates in clinical trials and the testing and development of new treatments.

The property of Docrates at Saukonpaadenranta is a part of the regional building project of Länsisatama in Jätkäsaari. The hospital's co-operation partners also work there.

Founders, ownership basis and business economics

Docrates Oy was established in 2006 by physicist Pekka Aalto, doctor Timo Joensuu and physicist Harri Puurunen.

Pekka Aalto (born 1945) has participated in the development of the targeted radiotherapy that saves tissue, and acted as an entrepreneur and business manager in the field of radiotherapy technology. Timo Joensuu, Associate Professor of Medical Oncology (born 1959), has as a doctor and a researcher specialised in cancer drugs as well as radiotherapy and isotopic treatments. He has acted as the Chief Clinical Director of Docrates hospital for years. Starting from March 2014, Specialist in Medical Oncology and Radiotherapy, Associate Professor Tom Wiklund has acted as the Chief Clinical Director of the hospital. Harri Puurunen (born 1959) has as a physicist participated in the projects of Dosetek, directed by Aalto, and worked with corporate financing in the public sector and as the Director of Technology of Tekes. Puurunen was the Managing Director of Docrates during 2006 and 2010 and during 2011 and 2012 and thereafter the CFO. During 2010 and 2011, the Managing Director was Marco Hautalahti. In 2012, Siv Schalin was appointed as the Managing Director. She was the Managing Director of GE Healthcare Finland and is still a board member of Outokumpu Plc.

The regular staff of doctors of the hospital include: Kalevi Kairemo, Chief Physician of Molecular Radiotherapy & Nuclear Medicine; Tuomo Alanko, Chief Physician of Medical Oncology; Martti Ala-Opas, Chief Urologist; Kaarina Partanen, Chief Radiologist; and Leila Vaalavirta, Chief Oncologist of Radiotherapy.

Akseli Hemminki, an academic researcher who develops oncolytic virus treatments, has been involved in the operations of the clinic from the very beginning.[1][2][3]

A group of private individuals became shareholders of Docrates Oy and, in 2008, Helsingin Lääkärikeskus, currently Aava Terveyspalvelut Oy, became the largest owner.

The turnover of the hospital was EUR 11 million in 2013 (EUR 9 million in 2012, EUR 6 million in 2010, EUR 3 million in 2009). During the early years, the company was unprofitable but the result has improved as turnover has increased. The number of employees has increased to approximately 40 persons by 2014, excluding indirectly employed researchers and doctors.[4][5][6] The number of patient visits was 16,000 per year. A fifth of all patients were from abroad.

Pioneer in treatments

Timo Joensuu, Associate Professor and Chief Clinical Director of Docrates Cancer Center, worked in the cancer clinic of HYKS (Helsinki University Central Hospital) for 15 years. He met Aalto in 1995. Joensuu was the first in the Nordic Countries to employ IMRT (intensity-modulated radiation therapy). A precisely destroying dose is directed at a tumour but surrounding tissues are protected. Even before that a stereotactic treatment was developed where the treatment is directed tridimensionally with the help of computer and magnetic resonance imagery. The synthesis of the IMRT and the stereotactic treatment is known as the Rapid Arc® -technique developed in Finland that speeds up the treatment. New treatments make the radiation therapy curing cancer almost harmless without serious side effects of treatments. They improve the treatment outcome.[7][8]

New treatments are intensively developed in Finland, such as precise viruses destroying cancer cells and molecules that may interrupt the cancer process. Akseli Hemminki’s research team in Biomedicum of the University of Helsinki examines targeted viruses in cooperation with Docrates.

Health hotel and ancillary services

In connection with the hospital, there is Nordic Clinic -hotel serving business passengers and families, which is suitable for patients and their families. In addition, Docrates offers other health and welfare services.[9] The business concept is new in Finland and partially based on foreign models. Docrates is planning to develop an export product of its hospital concept.[10]

The majority of foreign patients come from Russia, the Nordic Countries and the Baltic Countries.[11]

References

External links

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