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Accessibility statement for the stm.fi website The website of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health at stm.fi is subject to the provisions of the Act on the Provision of Digital Services (available in Finnish). Under the Act, public online ser...

Contact information The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Telephone: +358 295 16001 (Government switchboard) Postal address: PO Box 33, FI-00023 Government, Finland Visiting address: Meritullinkatu 8, 00170 Helsinki Telefax: +358 2951 63415 (r...

Services and support for people with disabilities Persons with disabilities have the right to equality, inclusion, self-determination, independent living, non-discrimination and the necessary individual services and support. The principle is that ...

Information management to support rational pharmacotherapy Information management solutions and digital services can support the safety, quality, economy and equality of pharmacotherapy and, in the long term, the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy. ...

Assessment of risks associated with gambling Assessing the risks and harm caused by gambling is statutory work conducted by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The Ministry started to assess the risks and harm related to the running of gamb...

Prevention of alcohol and drug related harm and addictions The aim of public authorities is to prevent and reduce the risks, harm and problems caused by the use of alcohol, tobacco and nicotine products as well as drug use and gambling. The Minist...

Pharmacotherapy and pharmaceutical service The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for the development of pharmaceutical services and for preparation of legislation on pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceutical services are an integral part ...

18.2.2026 | According to a report by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the gap between wellbeing services counties’ operations and finances widened in 2025. This trend is also expected to continue in the coming years. The underlying reasons include population ageing, an increase in service needs and uneven regional migration.

According to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Decree on the prescription of medicines (1088/2010), special attention must be given to the safety of pharmaceuticals.

12.2.2026 | The health status of people in Finland is in many respects better than the EU average, and the service system is fairly comprehensive. However, a recent country report by the OECD and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies indicates that access to care is not realised equally in Finland. In 2024, 12.4% of those who required medical care reported that they had not received the services they needed. The share is the second highest in the EU.

Contact information Communications Unit / VIE Communications Unit / VIE Iina Bister, Communications Specialist Communications Unit / VIE Address Meritullinkatu 8, 00170 Helsinki Phone number +358295163015 Email [email protected] Mariina Cervera Li...

13.11.2025 | A national collaboration model is being proposed for Finland to strengthen collaboration among key stakeholders in clinical research and make it easier for patients to access new treatments. The FinTrials collaboration model also aims to strengthen Finland’s position as an attractive country for clinical trials and increase investments in the sector. The proposal was made by the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra at the request of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

19.9.2025 | The WHO Pandemic Agreement was adopted at the World Health Assembly on 20 May 2025. Now negotiations are underway to agree an annex to the Pandemic Agreement that will establish a Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System. The negotiations took place in Geneva on 15–19 September 2025.

31.10.2025 | Healthcare and social welfare 2040 vision Views and proposals of Ministry of Social Affairs and Health officials regarding needs for changes to the healthcare and social welfare service system Permanent Secretary Veli-Mikko Niemi In “Healthcare an...

8.5.2025 | The series of social security dialogues held by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Timeout Foundation brought out a wide variety of views and development suggestions from citizens on the future of social security. The outcomes of the dialogues will be presented at a webinar on 15 May 2025.

13.2.2026 | Together Against Cancer – Human-Centred Cancer Prevention and Care National Cancer Strategy 2026–2035 Finland National Cancer Strategy 2026–2035 Contents Summary 3 Strategic objectives 5 Current situation and operating environment 6 Cancer in Finl...

EU collaboration project to promote access to genomic data The success of the European ‘1+ Million Genomes’ Initiative relies on wide-ranging collaboration. Among the objectives of the EU project is to ensure secure, cross-border access to genomic...

29.1.2024 | A recent report compares Finns’ state of health and Finnish health services with other EU states and Nordic countries. Released by the European Commission, focus areas of the report include the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and mental health. Although Finland does well in many respects, there are challenges especially in the availability of health services.

9.4.2026 | The Government is proposing changes aimed at preventing intentional misuse of social security, reducing incorrect social security payments and improving information exchange with Kela, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland.

10.6.2022 | Finland’s maternity clinic system celebrates its centenary this year. The system began in a renovated log cabin room of the Children’s Castle hospital in Helsinki.

14.12.2023 | The Government supports the Commission’s proposal to extend the scope of the proposal for a Directive establishing the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card for persons with disabilities to include third-country nationals who are legally residing in the territory of an EU Member State. Today, the Government submitted a Union communication on the matter to Parliament.

1.12.2023 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has published a strategy for digitalisation and information management in healthcare and social welfare.

9.3.2026 | EU ministers will convene for a meeting of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council in Brussels on 9 March. Minister of Social Affairs and Health Wille Rydman will represent Finland at the meeting.

Publicity of documents and requests for information Document publicity descriptions Documents produced by the authorities in the performance of their duties are public, unless special provisions on their secrecy have been laid down by law. In acco...

Legislation on services and benefits for older people This page lists the key pieces of legislation on services and benefits for older people. Below you will find them by topic and also links to more detailed guidance. Health and social services I...

EHDS Regulation The EHDS Regulation is an EU regulation that improves citizens’ control over their personal health data and provides healthcare professionals with access to patient data, regardless of where patients live or receive treatment. The ...

Current issues Press releases Total of 5,000 patients evacuated from Ukraine to EU countries Type: Press release Publication date: 17.4.2026 11.19 Government proposal: Applying Norwegian model for child home care allowance to help promote gender e...

Hospitals and specialised medical care Specialized medical services, including various specialist examinations and treatments, are primarily provided in hospitals, outpatient clinics, and emergency departments. Access to specialised healthcare is ...

Frequently asked questions about the Act on Secondary Use of Health and Social Data Usein kysyttyä: The law mentions the primary and secondary use of customer data. What is the difference between these two concepts? The primary use of customer dat...

Data Protection Contact information Data Protection Officer Data Protection Officer Lassi Kauttonen The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Department for Communities and Functional Capacity tietosuojavastaava.stm(at)gov.fi Controller The Minis...

International cooperation on gender equality European Union Gender equality is promoted in the EU using legislation and gender equality policies. The promotion of equality between men and women and the elimination of discrimination are among the E...

Electronic services support the pharmacotherapy Medication list as a tool for healthcare professionals A national up-to-date medication list is under preparation. Its benefits will be based on a procedure where all essential structural medication ...

Mental health services The aim of mental health work is to strengthen people's good mental health and to reduce factors that undermine it. This work includes activities to promote mental health and prevent mental health disorders, as well as menta...

Amended legislation on health checks for children and young adults Categories: Publication date: 22.12.2025 The timing and content of health checks at child health clinics and schools, and in student healthcare and oral healthcare will be regulate...

Health and social services The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health sets the guidelines for developing health and social services, drafts the relevant legislation and guides the implementation of reforms. Legislation » Legislation on social and h...

Amended legislation on health checks for children and young adults Type: Press release Categories: Publication date: 22.12.2025 Request for comments: Legislative amendment would extend right of small alcohol producers to sell their products direct...

Secondary use of health and social data A separate law has be laid down on the secondary use of health and social data (Act on the Secondary Use of Health and Social Data). The purpose of the Act is to facilitate the effective and safe processing ...

Sustainable Growth Programme for Finland The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health contributes to coordinating the Sustainable Growth Programme for Finland, which is funded from the one-off EU recovery instrument ‘NextGenerationEU’. The Sustainabl...

Legislation concerning children, young people and families Family leaves Family leaves are regulated in the Employment Contracts Act. The Act contains provisions on the rights of parents to take leave for family reasons. Employment Contracts Act 5...

Implementation of sensible pharmacotherapy Service organisers are responsible for ensuring that residents have access to the necessary social and health care services. It is essential for service organisers and providers to ensure the implementati...

9.12.2021 | The Government Resolution on drug policy will continue national cooperation in preventing drug-related harm. The Resolution was adopted on 9 December 2021.

30.11.2023 | The EU health ministers will meet in Brussels on Thursday 30 November 2023. The ministers will exchange views on safeguarding the EU’s open strategic autonomy in the field of health, particularly on how to ensure the availability of medicines in Europe. They will also approve conclusions on mental health. Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

Drug policy Finland makes use of social policy, national legislation and international agreements to prevent the demand and supply of drugs reduce the harm caused by drugs ensure that people with drug problems receive treatment as early as possibl...

Environmental health The MSAH seeks to identify, prevent and eliminate health hazards from the environment. The Ministry supervises health protection and is responsible for the development of legislation in this field is responsible for the legisl...

For the media Media contacts Vivikka Richt, Director of Communications Unit, tel. +358 295 163 396 Annette Rinne, Head of Communications, tel. +358 295 163 316 Communications Unit personnel and contact informatio n Please direct all media inquirie...

fi sv en Biobank activities will be harmonised Biobanks are part of the research infrastructure. In biobanks, samples of human origin and related data are stored for supporting research. Biobanks operate in Finland in connection with hospital dist...

Information on cookies on the website Cookies are small text files that are saved in your browser when you visit a website. The purpose of cookies is to maintain certain user preferences (e.g. language) for a certain period of time. In this way, y...

The Ministry as a workplace In the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, your work has a significant impact on society and it affects the lives of everyone living in Finland. You will participate in building a socially sustainable Finland, where ...

Welfare and health promotion The Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health supports the welfare of people in Finland via social and health services and by ensuring income security. Legislation » Many areas of health legislation enhance welfare...

Healthcare and social welfare for illegal residents Illegal residents mean persons who have no right of residence in Finland according to the Aliens Act. An asylum seeker’s residence in Finland is considered unauthorised when a decision to reject ...

Promoting inclusion strengthens social cohesion Inclusion means belonging to and being connected with communities and society. It is reflected, for example, in trust, equality and people’s opportunity to have a say in their own community and socie...

Communications Unit of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health The Communications Unit is in charge of the internal and external information and communications of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the related work with stakeholders. ...

The status and rights of clients and patients The status and rights of patients and social welfare clients are protected by: the Act on the Status and Rights of Patients 785/1992 (Finlex) the Act on the Status and Rights of Social Welfare Clients ...

Health services The aim of healthcare in Finland is to maintain and improve people's health, wellbeing, work ability and functional capacity and social security, as well as to reduce inequalities in health. The healthcare system is based on preven...

Health promotion The MSAH has a general responsibility for guiding and overseeing health promotion in Finland. Health promotion is based on the Health Care Act and is part of public health activity. Health promotion is also regulated by legislatio...

User's rights and requests for personal data When you want to know what data we store about you and who processes your data, you can check the data we have collected about you and update it, if necessary. You can submit a request to check your per...

Actions to reduce the use of tobacco and nicotine products The key actions to reduce the use of tobacco and related products are: as high product prices as possible (price and tax policies) smoke-free environments banning tobacco product marketing...

About the site The web service of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is published in Finnish, Swedish and English. The pages in Finnish and Swedish contain more information than the English pages. Functions The following functions are found...

6.3.2026 | The 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will take place in New York from 9 to 19 March 2026. Finland will be represented at the session by a broad-based delegation led by Minister Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, who is responsible for gender equality issues.

fi sv en Finnish Cancer Center FICAN The Finnish Cancer Center (FICAN) was established in 2019 to promote effective and equitable cancer care in Finland. FICAN’s mission is to implement the tasks defined in the Government Decree on the Division of...