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28.12.2023 | The aim is to accelerate and streamline the administration of vaccines and to alleviate the shortage of healthcare personnel. The amendments that are being circulated for comments would allow dentists, senior pharmacists, pharmacists, practical nurses and biomedical laboratory scientists to administer vaccines. The amendments would also make it easier to organise vaccination at pharmacies’ health service points.

13.4.2023 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has prepared an amendment to a decree by which COVID-19 caused by coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 would no longer be classified as a generally hazardous communicable disease. In future, it would be defined as a monitored communicable disease. Comments are to be submitted by 5 May 2023.

9.12.2022 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health requests comments on a proposal for amending the Government Decree on Voluntary COVID-19 Vaccinations. The amendment would make it possible to offer COVID-19 vaccines to children aged six months or over. Under the Decree currently in force, the minimum age for children to be vaccinated against COVID-19 is five years. The deadline for submitting comments is 5 January 2023.

Narcotics control The central framework for narcotics legislation in Finland is based on the Narcotics Act (373/2008). In the Narcotics Act two types of substances are defined that are listed in corresponding Government degrees. ‘Narcotics’ are li...

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...

Alcohol Act The provisions on the production, import, sale, marketing and use of alcoholic beverages have been compiled in the Alcohol Act that entered into force in 2018. Alcohol Act 1102/2017 (Finlex), in Finnish and Swedish Government proposal ...

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

Radiation protection In Finland, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has supreme authority in supervising compliance with the Radiation Act, and it directs the protection of the public, workers and patients from harmful radiation. The Minist...

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

Client and patient safety The safety of care and services is part of the overall quality of healthcare and social welfare. Safe care and services are evidence-based and effective. They are provided in the right way and at the right time. Client an...

Legislation on termination on pregnancy

Vaccinations Decision-making by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health concerning the vaccination programme is made with the support of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). Municipalities are responsible for the practical arrange...

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

School health care is part of school welfare services, which also include the services of school social workers and psychologists.

COVID-19 disease in Finland Shortly Since July 2023, COVID-19 has been classified as a monitored communicable disease instead of a generally hazardous communicable disease. Vaccinations continue to be the most important way to protect against seri...

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...

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...

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, 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.

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

The principle of organising prenatal screening tests to find out whether the pregnancy is developing normally is that all pregnant women are offered voluntary, free-of-charge, uniform and high-quality screening tests and, when necessary, further tests on an equal basis.

Laki poronhoitajien sijaisavusta 7 §: Kalenterivuoden aikana korvattavien sijaisaputuntien enimmäismäärä poronhoitajaa kohden vahvistetaan sosiaali- ja terveysministeriön asetuksella edellisen kalenterivuoden loppuun mennessä. Enimmäistuntimäärä vahvistetaan huomioiden kunakin vuonna käytettävissä oleva määräraha.

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...

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...

Laki poronhoitajien sijaisavusta 7 §: Kalenterivuoden aikana korvattavien sijaisaputuntien enimmäismäärä poronhoitajaa kohden vahvistetaan sosiaali- ja terveysministeriön asetuksella edellisen kalenterivuoden loppuun mennessä. Enimmäistuntimäärä vahvistetaan huomioiden kunakin vuonna käytettävissä oleva määräraha.

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...

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...

The centres of excellence on social welfare bring together wellbeing services counties, research institutes, educational establishments, organisations and other bodies in their area to promote cooperation.

Maternity and child health clinics Maternity and child health services are offered for all pregnant parents, families that are expecting a baby and children before school age and their parents. The functions of the maternity and child health clini...

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 ...

Value chain for pharmacotherapy Pharmaceuticals-related development, research and innovations The facilitation of research and development of pharmaceuticals is a requirement for new pharmaceutical innovations. It is characteristic of the pharmace...

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health provides overall guidance and prepares legislation on student health care in secondary and higher education.

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...

Rehabilitation The aim of rehabilitation is to enhance the individual's functional capacity, independent coping, opportunities for participation, work and study ability as well as their opportunities for employment and continuing working. Rehabili...

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.

Urgent and emergency health services Wellbeing services counties must organise 24-hour services for dealing with urgent cases. Patients can receive urgent care at urgent care centres irrespective of their place of residence. Urgent cases include c...

12.8.2021 | Screening for colorectal cancer will be made nationwide. Screening for cervical cancer, too, will be expanded. The Government amended the Government Decree on Screenings on Thursday 12 August. The amendment will enter into force on 1 January 2022.

Advisory Board on Biotechnology The Advisory Board on Biotechnology is an expert body providing advice on matters related to biotechnology and gene technology. It promotes cooperation between public authorities and researchers and operators in the...

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health directs, monitors and coordinates preparedness for incidents and emergencies in healthcare and social welfare.

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...

Violence against children and its prevention The authorities work to prevent violence against children in many ways and in broad cooperation with various parties. The key national plans coordinated by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health incl...

27.11.2025 | The Government has issued a decree which determines the amount of the healthcare fee, the late payment fee and the fee for an unattended appointment charged from higher education students in 2026.

The Government has appointed an advisory board on healthcare and social welfare under the Act on Organising Healthcare and Social Welfare Services (612/2021) and the Government Decree on the Advisory Board on Healthcare and Social Welfare (484/2022). The Government appoints the advisory board for four years at a time.

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...

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 regulated in future by government decree. Upper secondary level student health checks and preliminary health examinations for compulsory military service will be combined, and an electronic health questionnaire will be introduced.

Mielenterveyslain mukaista tahdosta riippumatonta hoitoa koskevien lomakkeiden kaavoista ja potilaan itsemääräämisoikeuden rajoittamisen valvonnasta annettuun sosiaali- ja terveysministeriön asetukseen lisätään päätöslomake psyykkisen sairauden lääkehoidosta sekä päivitetään liitteiden 1-5 ja 7 tekstejä useista säädösmuutoksista johtuen.

Osana sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon ammattihenkilölainsäädännön uudistusta kumotaan terveydenhuollon ammattihenkilöistä annetun asetuksen (564/1994) 17 §.

Osana sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon ammattihenkilölainsäädännön uudistusta puretaan optikon ammatin harjoittamista koskevia rajoituksia kumoamalla terveydenhuollon ammattihenkilöistä annetun asetuksen (564/1994) 16 §.

The WHO Pandemic Agreement aims to strengthen international preparedness for pandemics and other public health emergencies.

Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriön asetusta lääkkeen määräämisestä (1088/2010) ehdotetaan muutettavaksi. Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriön asetuksesta ehdotetaan muutettavaksi säännökset, jotka rajaavat sairaanhoitajan, kätilön ja terveydenhoitajan rajatun lääkkeenmääräämisoikeuden toteuttamista etä- ja puhelinvastaanotoilla (10 §).

Valtioneuvoston asetuksella ehdotetaan säädettäväksi hallituksen esityksessä 116/2025 vp ehdotetussa toimeentulotuesta annetun lain 2 a §:n 3 momentissa tarkoitetun toiminnan olennaisuuden vaatimuksen täyttymisestä eräillä aloilla.

Asetuksella säädetään päiväkirurgiasta ja eräistä muista toimenpiteistä ja tehdään päivityksiä erikoissairaanhoidon keskittämisasetukseen ja päivystysasetukseen. Keskittämisasetuksessa täsmennetään psykoterapeuttisten ja psykososiaalisten menetelmien käyttöönoton arvioinnin, osaamisen ylläpidon ja käytön työnjakoa.

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...

22.9.2025 | The Government proposes to update legislation on children and young people’s health checks. Under the proposal, the timing and content of health checks in child health clinics, school and student healthcare, and oral healthcare would in future be regulated in a government decree instead of an act. The health check in student healthcare at upper secondary level would be combined with the pre-conscription health examination, and an electronic health questionnaire would be introduced. 

29.12.2016 | The Government has issued two new decrees. They regulate grants to non-profit-making organisations and foundations for the promotion of health and social wellbeing.

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...

Tavoitteena on muuttaa valtioneuvoston asetusta erikoissairaanhoidon työnjaosta ja eräiden tehtävien keskittämisestä (582/2017). Muutos koskisi asetuksen 6 ja 7 §:ää.

27.6.2025 | The President of the Republic has approved the new amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) at the national level. The Finnish Parliament adopted the IHR amendments in its plenary session on 18 June 2025. The IHR are an international legal instrument to prevent, protect against, control and provide a public health response to the international spread of communicable diseases.

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...

5.12.2025 | 1 Classified as ECDC NORMAL Appendix 10 - Country follow-up to ECDC PHEPA recommendations Following the PHEPA mission conducted in your country, the final ECDC assessment report includes a series of recommendations aiming at supporting your countr...

4.7.2025 | Starting from 1 September 2025, persons aged 65 and over can book a private healthcare appointment and pay only a deductible that is equal to the client fee charged for public healthcare services. The pilot is based on developing the reimbursements paid by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela). The President of the Republic approved the legislative amendments enabling the pilot on 4 July 2025.

25.4.2024 | Amendments have been made to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Decree on Vaccinations and to the Government Decree on Voluntary COVID-19 Vaccinations in order to allow dentists, senior pharmacists, pharmacists, practical nurses and biomedical laboratory scientists to administer vaccines in future. The aim of the amendments is to accelerate the administration of seasonal vaccines in particular and alleviate the shortage of healthcare personnel.

16.4.2024 | The Government reached an agreement on the future of the network of hospitals and urgent and emergency health services in its spending limits session. It decided that changes would be made to night-time emergency care services in primary healthcare and to specialised healthcare in certain hospitals. The aim is to balance public expenditure and respond to the shortage of healthcare personnel.

23.11.2023 | The healthcare fee for students in higher education will be EUR 73.60 and the late-payment fee EUR 5 in 2024. The fee charged for an unattended appointment will be EUR 56.70, i.e. the same as in other health and social services.

28.11.2024 | The Government has issued a decree which determines the amount of the healthcare fee, the late payment fee and the fee for an unattended appointment charged from higher education students in 2025.

17.11.2022 | The healthcare fee charged from higher education students for using student healthcare services will be EUR 73.60, or EUR 36.80 per term, in 2023. Compared to 2022, the fee will increase by EUR 2 to improve the availability of services. The late payment fee and the charge for an unattended appointment will remain unchanged.

5.12.2025 | Country report: ECDC Public Health Emergency Preparedness Assessment for Finland, 2024 Under Article 8 of the Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 ASSESSMENT ECDC ASSESSMENT Country report: ECDC Public Health Emergency Preparedness Assessment for Finland, 20...

11.2.2022 | The Government has amended the decree that restricts the activities of food and beverage service businesses due to the COVID-19 epidemic. This means that the opening and licensing hours of all food and beverage service businesses will be extended. In addition, the restrictions on the use of the COVID-19 passport will continue until the end of February.

24.2.2022 | The Government has on repealed section 3, subsection 3 and sections 4 and 6 of the decree (1223/2021) that restricts the activities of food and beverage service businesses due to the COVID-19 epidemic. This means that the restrictions on the opening and alcohol serving hours as well as restrictions on the number of customers and customer seats in restaurants will be lifted.

6.7.2021 | On Tuesday 6 July, the Government decided on a decree and on a model for preventing the spread of COVID-19 infections to Finland from abroad.

29.11.2023 | At the beginning of 2023, an amendment to the Decree on Prescribing Medicines entered into force whereby prescriptions for all biological medicines are valid for one year. People using biological medicines should check the validity of their prescriptions with their attending physician or the pharmacy.

Survivors’ pension When a death occurs in a family, the income of the widow and the children is secured with a survivors’ pension, which can be a spouse’s pension or an orphan’s pension. The purpose of the survivors’ pension under the earnings-rel...

Older workers The reduction in the numbers of people of working age underscores the need to ensure that older workers can continue in employment for longer than at present. The working career of older workers can be prolonged by maintaining work a...

Value of lost labour input in Finland The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has estimated the minimum costs of lost labour input to the Finnish workplaces and society. The costs of lost labour input rise to about 2 billion euros every month. T...

22.12.2020 | On 22 December, the Finnish Government issued a decree on vaccinations, which is needed to deploy the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Finland. The programme will use vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 that have been granted marketing authorisation in the European Union. It will be deployed once vaccines arrive in Finland. The decree will enter into force on 23 December 2020. Vaccination for COVID-19 is voluntary.

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.

23.11.2023 | Amendments have been made to the Articles of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR) concerning the time period within which the States Parties must adopt, reject or make reservations to any future IHR amendments.

7.12.2023 | The Government has issued decrees on rehabilitation for disabled veterans’ spouses and widows and for war widows and on the front-line allowance for foreign volunteer front-line soldiers in 2024.

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...

29.6.2020 | The financial position of people in need of unemployment security will be strengthened in a situation where many have been unemployed or laid off. The central government will temporarily contribute to the financing of earnings-related allowances.

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...

National pension National pension can be paid to a person covered by the Finnish social security system who does not receive any earnings-related pension or whose earnings-related pension is small. Provisions on national pension are laid down in l...

21.9.2021 | The Government has submitted to Parliament a proposal for extending the validity of the temporary provisions of the Communicable Diseases Act concerning entry into the country. The provisions aim to protect the health of the population by preventing COVID-19 infections of foreign origin from spreading into Finland. Health security measures similar to those proposed by the Government are in place in many EU countries.

21.9.2021 | The Government has submitted to Parliament a proposal for extending the validity of the temporary provisions of the Communicable Diseases Act concerning entry into the country. The provisions aim to protect the health of the population by preventing COVID-19 infections of foreign origin from spreading into Finland. Health security measures similar to those proposed by the Government are in place in many EU countries.

22.12.2023 | Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen has invited Teresa Salminen, Master of Social Sciences, to serve as her Special Adviser. Salminen will deputise for Special Adviser Sakari Rokkanen during his family leave between 2 January and 31 July 2024.

25.11.2021 | The social security agreement between Finland and Japan will enter into force on 1 February 2022. Ville Skinnari, Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, and Takashi Murata, Japan’s Ambassador to Finland, exchanged notes on 25 November to bring the bilateral agreement into force. When the agreement enters into force, workers posted to a Contracting State will avoid double pension and unemployment insurance contributions.

Occupational accidents and occupational diseases The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for developing and preparing the legislation concerning insurance against occupational accidents and diseases. The workers’ compensation insu...

21.12.2022 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has published a guide on how to apply the Decree on the Rights of Access to Client Data in Healthcare and Social Welfare.

13.10.2020 | The Ministerial Working Group on Health and Social Services has reviewed the comments received during the consultation round, organised from 15 June to 25 September, on the health and social services reform and outlined policies and made changes to the draft government proposal. The draft bill will be submitted to the Finnish Council of Regulatory Impact Analysis (FCRIA) on 14 October 2020. The Government proposal is due to be submitted to Parliament in early December 2020.

Motion förbättrar hälsan och välfärden När det gäller många sjukdomar ger förebyggandet, vården och rehabiliteringen bättre resultat när människan har en fysiskt aktiv livsstil. Fördelarna av motion hänför sig i synnerhet till förebyggandet och be...

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...

20.12.2022 | The President of the Republic has approved the amendments to the Abortion Act. In future, a pregnancy may be terminated solely based on the pregnant woman’s request until the end of the twelfth week of pregnancy. In the 1970 Act, an opinion by two doctors was required in most cases for the termination of pregnancy, and grounds had to be presented.

Frequently asked questions Why the family leave reform is needed? Currently, parents take family leave unevenly. This is especially detrimental to the position of women in the job market and their income, which has both short- and long-term effect...

3.12.2021 | All travellers arriving in Finland who were born in 2005 or earlier will be required to show a COVID certificate, or if they do not have such a certificate, they will have to undergo a COVID-19 test. The Government has issued a decree that repeals the Government Decree on exceptions to the obligation to present the EU Digital COVID Certificate or undergo a COVID-19 test.

11.1.2022 | The Government has amended the decree that restricts the activities of food and beverage service businesses due to the COVID-19 epidemic. From now on, all food and beverage services businesses must close at 18.00. In addition, the restrictions on the use of the COVID-19 passport will be extended until the end of January. The decree on the opening hours of food and beverage service businesses will enter into force on 12 January 2022 at 00.00 and it will remain in force until 31 January 2022.

26.6.2019 | Decree of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health on vaccinations The following is issued by decision of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health pursuant to section 54 of the Communicable Diseases Act (1227/2016): Section 1 National vaccinatio...

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 ...