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Steering of wellbeing services counties The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for the general guidance, direction, planning and development of healthcare and social welfare in Finland. The Ministry of the Interior, in turn, is r...

Every wellbeing services county belongs to one collaborative area. There are a total of five collaborative areas, each with one university hospital.

Press releases about Coronavirus Current Issues More healthcare professionals to be allowed to administer vaccines Type: Press release Publication date: 25.4.2024 13.56 New Pandemic Preparedness Plan takes account of experiences during COVID-19 er...

Whistleblower protection Whistleblower protection safeguards people who report certain types of misconduct. In this case, a ‘whistleblower’ is a person who, in the course of their work, discovers a breach of European Union or national law concerni...

“Opportunities to build something new this hands-on in central government are rare” » At the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Laura Kuusio is developing new ways to strengthen the participation of children and young people. “I’m always looki...

Municipalities are responsible for promoting health and wellbeing.

Mediation in criminal and civil cases Mediation in criminal and civil cases is a free-of-charge public service where volunteer mediators mediate between the parties to a crime or a dispute and assist them in the negotiations. The purpose of mediat...

Guidance of information management in healthcare and social welfare The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for the general planning, guidance and monitoring of information management within its administrative branch and for the f...

18.5.2026 | The World Health Organization (WHO) will hold its 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva on 18–23 May 2026. Finland’s delegation will be led by Minister of Social Affairs and Health Wille Rydman.

26.4.2023 | Finland is participating in the drafting of a new global pandemic treaty. Finland’s goal is for the treaty to improve global health security. However, Finland stresses the responsibility of states for their own health security and related preparedness.

Global cooperation The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health prepares international policies within its branch of government, participates in preparing agreements and formulating policy approaches and sees to their implementation and monitoring in...

Frequently asked questions concerning child welfare in Finland In Finland, child welfare services are based on the Child Welfare Act (417/2007) and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Finnish Treaty Series 59–60/1991). The Child Welfare ...

International and EU affairs On this page Ministry of Social Affairs and Health’s objectives for international and EU cooperation International Affairs Unit EU affairs at the Ministry Global cooperation Nordic and regional cooperation Human rights...

5.12.2022 | The World Health Organization (WHO) is preparing a new international pandemic treaty to improve pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. The aim is for the treaty to be ready in May 2024. The third meeting of the intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) to discuss the treaty will be held in Geneva on 5–7 December.

Open positions and the Ministry as a workplace On this page Open positions Trainee positions at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health The Ministry as a workplace Service relationship, working hours, pay, and general collective agreements Well-...

26.10.2020 | As part of the preparation of the health and social services reform, an exercise will be carried out to establish cooperation between the central government and the future wellbeing services counties. This will be done during the negotiations designed to provide the counties with guidance and direction. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health will hold the negotiations with the counties between 27 October and 4 December.

1.12.2025 | The EU ministers will attend the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council in Brussels on 1 and 2 December 2025. On both days, Finland will be represented by Minister of Social Affairs and Health Kaisa Juuso.

14.3.2025 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health held a stakeholder event on 11 March to discuss the pandemic treaty that is currently being negotiated under the World Health Organization (WHO). The aim of the treaty is to strengthen international preparedness for pandemics and other public health emergencies. 

19.3.2024 | The World Health Organization (WHO) is preparing a pandemic treaty to improve global pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. The next round of treaty negotiations will be held in Geneva on 18–29 March, and Finland will take part in the negotiations.

7.3.2025 | The promotion of gender equality, women’s rights and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) people is facing strong opposition around the world. The situation causes concern, but Finland’s policy is clear: we defend gender equality and continue to work towards achieving equality between women, men and people belonging to gender minorities together with the other Nordic countries, civil society and our other partners.