Ministers
Minister of Social Affairs and Health
The Minister of Social Affairs and Health Aino-Kaisa Pekonen deals with the following matters:
- health insurance (daily allowances and reimbursements)
- parenthood allowances
- sickness allowances
- reimbursements for medicines
- reimbursements for travel expenses
- health insurance reimbursements
- reimbursements for organising occupational healthcare
- employer’s funds
- unemployment security
- rehabilitation organised by Social Insurance Institution Kela
- pension security
- housing allowance for pensioners
- employment accident, motor liability, patient, life and non-life insurances
- insurance market
- general housing allowance
- maternity grants
- conscript’s allowance
- child benefits
- child home care and private care allowances
- pharmaceutical service
- production, wholesale and retail sale of medicines
- compulsory stockpiling
- medicine reimbursement system
- disability benefits
- labour protection
- Funding Centre for Social Welfare and Health Organisations STEA as well as Veikkaus Oy and its proceeds
- preparedness coordination
Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services
The Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Krista Kiuru deals with the following matters:
- social welfare
- child welfare
- social welfare and services for persons with disabilities, including interpreter services
- care for alcohol and drug abusers
- services for older persons
- preventive social policy
- health services
- patient safety
- publicly funded pharmacotherapy under the Health Care Act and related pharmaceutical service
- prevention of communicable diseases
- national vaccination programme and vaccine procurement
- free-of-charge treatments under the Communicable Diseases Act and the Client Fees Act
- public health
- mental health
- rehabilitation
- health promotion
- environmental healthcare
- alcohol, drug and tobacco policy
- gambling-related harm
- health protection
- home and leisure accidents
- domestic violence and violence against women
- occupational healthcare, excl. reimbursements
- social assistance
- maternity and child health clinics
- school and student healthcare, school welfare services
- family and parenting support, family social work
- healthcare and social services for families
- sexual and reproductive health
- state reform schools
- wellbeing, inclusion promotion and social exclusion of children and young people
- front veterans’ issues
- farmers’ holiday and stand-in scheme
- central government transfers to local government
Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality Thomas Blomqvist is responsible for equality and non-discrimination matters.
Assistants to the Minister
State Secretary
Saila Ruuth, tel. +358 (02951 63391
Special Advisers
Juho Orjala, tel. +358 (0)2951 63424
- social security reform, unemployment security, housing allowance, health insurance, occupational safety and health, work ability and well-being at work.
Jiri Sironen, tel. +358 (0)2951 63410
- international and EU affairs, pension security and private insurance, as well as communications.
Hanna Hänninen, tel. +358 (0)2951 63508
- pharmaceutical services, family benefits, Funding Centre for Social Welfare and Health Organisations STEA, and Veikkaus proceeds.
Assistants to the Minister
State Secretary
Eila Mäkipää, tel. 02951 63632
Special Advisers
Laura Lindeberg, tel. 02951 63109
- the affairs of the Ministerial Working Group on Health and Social Services as well as matters related to the health and social services reform, services for older people and an amendment of the Act on Care Services for Older Persons.
Sampo Varjonen, tel. 02951 63006
- Minister Kiuru’s affairs in the Ministerial Working Group on Promoting Employment, for matters related to the social security reform for the part of the Minister, as well as for matters related to social assistance.
Timo Lehtinen, tel. 02951 63387
- communications and media relations, affairs of the Ministerial Working Group on Child and Youth Policy and matters related to intoxicant abuse, gambling-related harms and mental health.
Further information
Päivi Saarimaa, sosiaali- ja terveysministerin sihteeri
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Hallintoyksikkö / HAL, Hallintopalveluryhmä / HALPA Telephone:0295163535
Maria Vanhanen, perhe- ja peruspalveluministerin sihteeri
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Hallintoyksikkö / HAL, Hallintopalveluryhmä / HALPA Telephone:0295163525