Department for Steering of Healthcare and Social Welfare

The Department for Steering of Healthcare and Social Welfare is responsible for the general steering, planning and development of healthcare and social welfare in Finland.

The Department for Steering of Healthcare and Social Welfare

  • steers the range of health and social services, i.e. publicly funded health and social services.
  • develops IT management in health and social services and the interoperability of information systems.
  • is responsible for the strategic development and assessment of the health and social services
  • prepares the national objectives of healthcare and social welfare together with other departments in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
  • steers and develops ICT governance, information management and cyber security in the Ministry and in its administrative sector.

Performance guidance

The Department is responsible for the performance guidance of the following institutes:

Units and personnel of the Department

The Acting Director of the Department for Steering of Healthcare and Social Welfare is Kari Hakari.

Directly under the Director is the Shared Group (Yhteiset), which is responsible for the coordination and development of the Department’s activities and for general and personnel administration. It supports and provides assistance to other units. Its tasks also include the preparation and coordination of financial matters within the Department’s sector, the coordination of international issues within the Department’s sector, and development of the drafting of a law.

Responsibilities and personnel of the Department’s units:

Unit for Steering

The Unit for Steering (OHJA) is responsible for the general strategic steering, planning and development of healthcare and social welfare. It also steers the national service selection.

The Unit is headed by Andreas Blanco Sequeiros.

Unit for Digitalisation and Information Management

The Unit for Digitalisation and Information Management is responsible for guidance concerning matters related to information management and digitalisation of healthcare and social services and for the preparation and implementation of national development measures. It also prepares the national enterprise architecture descriptions and coordinates activities related to the architecture work. Unit steers and develops ICT governance, information management and cyber security in the Ministry and in its administrative sector.

The Unit is headed by Aleksi Yrttiaho.