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Human Resources and Administration Unit Human Resources and Administration Unit: coordinates the Ministry’s personnel planning, personnel development and wellbeing at work manages recruitment and the terms of employment manages the Ministry’s gene...

Human Resources and Administration Unit (HEHA) - Unit personnel Hidden

Government branch The administrative branch of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health includes several independent institutions and agencies, which implement the ministry’s objectives in society and participate in Government Programme projects....

Social- och hälsovårdsministeriets administration av sociala medier Social- och hälsovårdsministeriet använder sociala medier i dess kommunikation. I sociala medier delar vi bland annat pressmeddelanden och nyheter samt information om ärenden som ...

23.9.2024 | As outlined in the Programme of Petteri Orpo’s Government, the Government will implement a central government productivity programme to support the Government’s objective for sustainable public finances.

23.9.2024 | The Finnish Government proposes about EUR 15.2 billion in appropriations for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and its administrative branch for 2025. This is about EUR 1.1 billion less than in 2024.

Strategic and Financial Management Unit The Strategic and Financial Management Unit assists and supports the Permanent Secretary and is in charge of developing the Ministry’s strategic leadership. The Unit is responsible for advancing and developi...

Senior Civil Servants As the most senior public official at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Permanent Secretary directs and is responsible for the Ministry’s activities. The Under-Secretary of State assists the Permanent Secretary i...

Appealing income security decisions The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health does not process requests for a review, objections or complaints. Instead, it drafts legislation on appeal boards and this way ensures the legal protection of people whe...

International and EU affairs The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and its administrative branch engage in proactive international and EU cooperation that promotes health and social policy. As part of the Government, the Ministry is responsibl...

Department for Work and Gender Equality The Department for Work and Gender Equality (TTO) guides and directs the supervision and administration of occupational safety and health, drafts legislation and policies on occupational safety and health, a...

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 ...

Council of Europe The areas of cooperation of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in the Council of Europe (CoE) include: Roma issues the rights of persons with disabilities children’s rights drug policy bioethics quality of medicines gender...

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.

There are six Regional State Administrative Agencies in mainland Finland. They guide and supervise public and private healthcare and social welfare.

Ministry personnel statistics We are satisfied with our work Based on our employee satisfaction survey, the personnel of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is particularly satisfied with the content and challenges of their jobs as well as t...

Management and organisation Two ministers and one permanent secretary run the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. A State Secretary may assist the ministers in their tasks. There are six departments in the ministry, in charge of the preparation...

International Affairs Unit The International Affairs Unit develops, plans and coordinates international affairs in the Ministry's administrative sector. The International Affairs Unit coordinates the administrative sector’s activities in intergove...

The Ministry The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (MSAH) is one of the 12 ministries in the Government. The Ministry's tasks promote the good health and functional capacity of people promote healthy living and working environments secure suff...

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...

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 ...

Department for Insurance and Social Security The Department for Insurance and Social Security directs and steers insurance policy and is responsible for drafting social insurance and other insurance legislation. The Department handles issues that ...

Fighting infectious disease The aim of fighting infectious diseases is their prevention and to stop them from spreading. Prevention is one of the responsibilities of the social and health care services. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is...

Client charges in healthcare and social welfare The Government guides and directs the policy on client charges in healthcare and social welfare through legislation. The purpose of the policy is to ensure that the charges are kept at a reasonable l...

Social assistance Shortly Social assistance is a last-resort form of social security that secures the essential livelihood for an individual or a family when they cannot support themselves with other income or assets. It is a means-tested benefit,...

Healthcare and social welfare system and responsibilities Finland’s healthcare and social welfare system is founded on public healthcare and social welfare services funded from tax revenue. Alongside the public sector, private companies provide he...

Healthcare and social welfare system and responsibilities Finland’s healthcare and social welfare system is founded on public healthcare and social welfare services funded from tax revenue. Alongside the public sector, private companies provide he...

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...

Parties responsible for gambling policy The Lotteries Act, which is prepared by the Ministry of the Interior, governs gambling services. Under the Act, the primary objective of gambling policy is to prevent harm. The Programme of Prime Minister Pe...

European cooperation on market surveillance Application of product legislation The Expert Group on Machinery (MD EG), which deals with issues related to the application of the Machinery Directive, operates under the Machinery Committee of the Euro...

Read more about working at the ministry The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health employs approximately 440 people. Their jobs vary from Assistant to Permanent Secretary and from Specialist to Ministerial Adviser. Tasks are challenging and versati...

Occupational safety and health (OSH) The MSAH prepares and develops legislation and policies on OSH and deals with international cooperation in this field. The ministry also guides the occupational safety and health work of the The Finnish Supervi...

HPV vaccinations By a decision of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the HPV vaccine has been included in the national vaccination programme (Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Decree 410/2013). The HPV vaccine prevents cervical cancer ...

Health and social services for people arriving from Ukraine On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a military attack against Ukraine. Finland is committed to helping people who have fled the war in Ukraine to Finland, also with respect to healthcare...

United Nations (UN) The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health takes part in shaping Finland’s UN policy with respect to social, health and gender equality affairs. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health participates in the preparation of conven...

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...

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen The National Coalition Party Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen is responsible for matters covered by the Department for Insurance and Social Secu...

Working for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health All employment relationships in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health are public-service employment relationships. Public-service employment relationships always adhere to the Public Servan...

Fighting infectious disease: Responsibilities of the authorities The task of healthcare and social welfare services is to safeguard that the population has the healthcare and social welfare services essential to their health and functional capacit...

EU regulation and cooperation in the tobacco policy The EU Directive concerning tobacco products and the EU Directive concerning advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products have been implemented in Finnish tobacco legislation. Directive 2014/4...

Department for Safety, Security and Health The Department for Safety, Security and Health handles issues pertaining to: organising environmental healthcare and health protection alcohol, tobacco and drug policy and the prevention of harm caused by...

Chemical oversight Chemicals legislation prevents harm caused by chemicals Chemicals legislation prevents harm caused by chemicals to health and the environment. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for the general guidance, mo...

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...

Publications Publications of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is a publication series that supports the Ministry's management, communications on the Ministry's content matters as well as the strategic management of the Ministry's administ...

Areas of experties The administrative sector of the MSAH is wide ranging. The Ministry's work is supported by expertise from all agencies and institutes throughout the sector. Promotion of welfare » Social and health services » Income security » I...

Supervising OSH The Finnish Supervisory Agency oversees compliance with workplace OSH in Finland. Occupational safety and health Administration in Finland The MSAH and the four-year framework agreements concerning The Finnish Supervisory Agency de...

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental organisation of developed market-based economies with 37 member countries. Finland’s work with the OECD primarily involves the responsible officials fro...

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...

Primary healthcare Health and social services centres are the nearest and most familiar care facilities to residents, providing many of the healthcare services organised by the wellbeing services counties. Health and social services centres provid...

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 ...

Occupational health and safety legislation is crucial to promoting employees' physical and mental health, as well as conditions of employment.

Immigrants' social security, welfare and health The MSAH is responsible for matters concerning the welfare and health of immigrants living in Finland. The Ministry deals with the basic security of immigrants, essential social and health services i...

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...

Vera Inspection ICT System The Finnish ICT application Vera is in use in the occupational safety and health administration. In the Vera Inspection ICT System, the inspection report and other enforcement documents are compiled as structured documen...

fi sv en Overall project description The projects to improve the effective utilization of personalised medicines are linked to former Government’s key project of strengthening competitiveness. In the General Government Fiscal Plan, the Government ...

Key areas of participation and inclusion The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health works to strengthen inclusion and social wellbeing and to reduce inequality. Social exclusion and poverty are prevented by strengthening people’s inclusion and abil...

NAPE – Committee for Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence The Committee for Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (NAPE) is responsible for the coordination,monitoring and evaluation of the measures required unde...

health security

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 large-scale interim evaluation of the wellbeing services county reform aims to assess the achievement of the reform objectives in 2025 in relation to the objectives laid down in legislation. The evaluation will be carried out on the basis of the implementation in 2023–2025 and by examining the preconditions for achieving the long-term objectives of the reform.

National Advisory Board on Romani Affairs The task of the Advisory Board on Romani Affairs is to enhance the equal participation of the Roma population in the Finnish society, to improve their living conditions and socio-economic position and to p...

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 ...

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

Department for Communities and Functional Capacity The Department for Communities and Functional Capacity is responsible for matters related to health and social services for children, young people and families, services for people with disabiliti...

29.12.2021 | Regional State Administrative Agencies decide the restrictions on public events and customer premises in their respective areas of operation.

nordic cooperation

Gambling-related harm The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health coordinates the prevention and reduction of gambling-related harm at the government level. These measures are guided by the Gambling Policy Programme that extends to 2030. As provided...

Private providers of health and social services Private providers of health and social services, in other words companies, organisations and foundations, already account for about 22 per cent of the whole health and social services sector. They op...

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...

National Cancer Strategy 2026–2035 Cancer is a common disease in Finland. The number of cancer deaths in the country has fallen considerably over the past decades, and as many as two out of three people with cancer recover from the disease. Howeve...

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...

Lastensuojelulainsäädäntö uudistetaan pääministeri Petteri Orpon hallituksen ohjelman mukaisesti. Tällä hallituksen esityksellä toteutetaan lastensuojelulainsäädännön uudistamisen toinen vaihe.

Disability policy promotes equality Disability policy is made up of society’s actions and policies that ensure equal opportunities, rights and services in Finland for persons with disabilities. What are the principles of Finland’s disability polic...

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...

Private providers of health and social services, in other words companies, organisations and foundations, already account for about 22 per cent of the whole health and social services sector. They operate in both publicly and privately funded markets.

The mission of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is to safeguard people’s functional capacity, livelihoods and services so that we can live in a stable, equitable and sustainable society.

Mental Health at Work Programme The Mental Health at Work Programme (2021–2022) was led and coordinated by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, and it was part of the implementation of the National Mental Health Strategy and the Programme of...

Insurance business in Finland is subject to licence.The government grants licences to authorised pension insurance companies that manage earnings-related pension insurance.

Gender Equality Act promotes gender equality and prohibits gender-based discrimination In Finland, the Act on Equality between Women and Men, or the Gender Equality Act, lays down obligations to promote gender equality. The Ministry of Social Affa...

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health guides, directs and develops legislation on occupational healthcare.

Nordic cooperation Nordic cooperation involves Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Åland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The vision of the Nordic countries is to make the Nordic region the most sustainable and integrated region in the wor...

Työryhmän työskentelyllä suun terveys saatetaan pysyväksi osaksi hoivatyön toimintakulttuuria lisäämällä suun terveyden osaamista hoiva-alan koulutuksessa ja kehittämällä konkreettisia suun terveyden huomioimisen toimintamalleja hoivatyön arkeen.

The Government of Prime Minister Sanna Marin will implement the Future Health and Social Services Centres programme. The programme will develop primary health and social services: their availability will be improved and the services will be coordinated to meet people’s needs

Työryhmä kartoittaa nuorten terveyslukutaidon ja tunnetaitojen tilaa, kokoaa olemassa olevia materiaaleja ja toimintamalleja sekä laatii suunnitelman niiden kehittämisestä ja hyödyntämisestä erityisesti heikosti osaaville nuorille, tavoitteena vahvistaa terveyttä, hyvinvointia ja vähentää eriarvoisuutta.

Substance abuse and addiction prevention Shortly The goal of substance abuse and addiction prevention is to reduce harm and promote health, wellbeing and safety. The wellbeing services counties organise substance abuse prevention and provide healt...

Work ability programme The aim of the work ability programme was to eliminate obstacles to the employment of people with partial work ability and develop services to support the work ability of people with partial work ability The work ability pro...

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...

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Minister of Social Affairs and Health Wille Rydman The Finns Party Minister of Social Affairs and Health Wille Rydman is responsible for all other matters covered by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, ...

Healthcare and social welfare for undocumented persons When it comes to the organisation of healthcare and social welfare, it should be noted that there are people residing both legally and illegally in Finland who are usually referred to as undoc...

Vähennetään lihavuuden stigmaa -työryhmän tehtävänä on toteuttaa Orpon hallitusohjelman Terveydeksi - kansallinen terveys- ja hyvinvointiohjelman poikkihallinnollista työtä kehittämällä vaikuttamistoimia ja ohjeistusta lihavuudesta viestimiseen sekä laatimalla kriteerit lihavuuden hoidon opetukseen ja koulutusta muille keskeisille aloille.

Sote-uudistuksen johtoryhmän tehtävänä on johtaa uudistuksen virkavalmistelua ja koordinoida valmistelutyötä.

Statsunderstöd: Ansökan, användning och tillsyn Statsunderstöd beviljas på ansökan. Vid ministeriet fattas beslut enligt prövning om vilken aktör och hur mycket understöd som beviljas. I statsbudgeten anges för vilka användningsändamål statsunders...

Child welfare Shortly The objective of child welfare is to guarantee children’s right to a safe growth environment, development and special protection. The aim is to provide support at the earliest possible stage at schools and maternity and child...

In accordance with the Government Programme of Prime Minister Orpo's Government, solving the shortage of personnel threatening the availability of services in the welfare society requires both short-term and long-term measures. The Good Work Programme will be launched to ensure the sufficiency and availability of personnel in the health, social services and rescue services sectors.

10.12.2025 | The wellbeing services county reform is progressing towards the set objectives throughout Finland, but there are still many issues left to address. This is according to a broad-based interim evaluation of the wellbeing services county reform made by an independent expert group.

Kansaneläkelaitoksen soveltamien etuuslakien menettelytapasäännöksiä yhtenäistettäisiin. Sovitellun työttömyysetuuden määrää koskevaa säännöstä selkeytettäisiin. Työttömyyskassalakia muutettaisiin siten, että sen soveltaminen 1.5.26 alkaen vastaisi 30.4.26 saakka voimassa olevaa säännöstä yrittäjäkassan maksamien etuuksien rahoituksesta.

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 ...

Lastensuojelun jälkihuollon ikäraja lasketaan hallitusohjelman mukaisesti 23 vuoteen. Samalla täsmennetään sijoitetun lapsen varhaiskasvatuksen järjestämisvelvollisuutta ja säädetään tästä aiheutuvien kustannusten korvaamisesta . Lisäksi korjataan eräitä sote-uudistuksen myötä lastensuojelulakiin jääneitä teknisluonteisia virheitä.

9.4.2026 | 1 ADI-ROM(2025)26 Restricted Strasbourg, 9 March 2026 COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON ROMA AND TRAVELLER1 ISSUES (ADI-ROM) 13th meeting Strasbourg, 1-2 April 2026 Explanatory Memorandum Recommendation to the member States on desegregation and inclusion po...

Social- och hälsovårdsministeriet beviljar statsunderstöd för flera projekt för utveckling av social- och hälsovården enligt regeringsprogrammet och för annat inom ramen för statsbudgeten.