Finnish goals of health policy and medical research.

AT THE REQUEST of the Ministry of Edu'LA cation, in early 1971 the Finnish National Board of Medical Science prepared a plan for the allocation of State funds appropriated in the budget for the support of medical research (1). At the same time, the Economic Council, an advisory body to the Council of State, appointed a task force to study the possibilities of establishing priorities for and using social indicators in social planning (2). The National Board of Medical Science based its plan on the concept that the goals of medical research are ultimately determined by the goals of the general social policy of the country (3). Thus, it seemed appropriate to study the relationships between the goals of social policy and those of medical research (1). It is necessary to find ways to derive the goals of research from the goals of social policy. These ways are closely related to attempts to improve social planning and decision making.