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Työikäisen väestön työelämään osallistumisen lisääminen Työ on voimavara yhteiskunnalle ja yksilöille. Korkea työllisyysaste on perusta hyvinvoivalle yhteiskunnalle ja hyvinvointivaltion rahoitukselle eri väestöryhmien osallistuessa työelämään. Vä...

The 11th annual Gender Equality Days (Tasa-arvopäivät) were organised on 8-9 October 2025 at the Clarion Hotel Aviapolis in Vantaa. 

27.2.2024 | Tutkimussuunnitelma Leo Nyqvist 1 Digitaalisen väkivallan tunnistaminen ja siihen puuttuminen sosiaalityössä (DIGISOS) 1. Tarkoitus ja tavoitteet 1.1. Tutkimushankkeen merkitys suhteessa nykytietämykseen sekä tutkimukselliset lähtökoh- dat Lähisuh...

21.12.2023 | Finland’s communicable diseases legislation is being reformed in 2023–2025. During the reform, a number of thematic workshops will be organised to give the key stakeholders an opportunity to express their views. The first workshop was held on 18 December under the theme business activities and employment.

27.5.2021 | The epidemiological situation has remained stable in Finland in the past few weeks. The number of new COVID-19 cases took a sharp downward turn in late March, which levelled out in late April. Since then the number of new cases has remained stable.

The Ministry's social media sites are maintained by the Communications Unit. When necessary, we moderate discussions and delete any illegal or inappropriate comments. We do not comment on individual cases on social media or provide advice for different life situations.

27.2.2024 | Tutkimussuunnitelma Teemu Rantanen / 1 Vuoden 2023 yliopistotasoisen tutkimuksen hankehaku Tutkimussuunnitelma MONITOIMIJAINEN SOSIAALITYÖ VANKILASTA VAPAUTUVAN TUKENA DIGITALISOITUVASSA YHTEISKUNNASSA (VAPAA) 1 TARKOITUS JA TAVOITTEET 1.1 Tutkimu...

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...

Gender mainstreaming Gender mainstreaming is a strategy for promoting gender equality, and it means that the gender perspective is taken into account in all decision-making. The Gender Equality Unit of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health coo...

Balancing family life and work Family leave and different organizational measures, such as flexible working hours can help balance work and family life. The Ministry of Social affairs and Health is responsible for developing financial benefits for...

Gender Equality in working life Equality in working life must be promoted particularly in pay, working conditions, terms of employment, recruitment, career development, and reconciliation of work and family life. The Gender Equality Act obliges em...

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.

Social security reform Social security will be reformed during the ongoing parliamentary term through government projects and the work of the Social Security Committee. The aim of the social security reform is to make the social security system sm...

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...

Reform encourages both parents to take family leave The Family leave reform entered into force on 1 August 2022. The number of parental leave days will increase and there will be more flexibility for parents to take leave. The reform aims to incre...

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...

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...

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

Roma policy in Finland The overall objective of Finland’s National Roma Policy is to promote the inclusion, participation and equality of the Roma in different spheres of life. The policy programme is a comprehensive action plan, prepared in coope...

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...

Rational, or sensible, pharmacotherapy is effective, safe, of high quality, economical and equal.

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...

Provisions will be laid down on the principles according to which the inclusion of services and methods in the range of services and their removal will be implemented in public healthcare and social welfare. The possibility of enacting provisions on a national actor who can make a binding decision on the inclusion of the method in the range of public services will be investigated.

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...

13.12.2023 | The parliamentary Social Security Committee will meet for the first time during its second term on Thursday 14 December 2023.

fi sv en National Mental Health Strategy 2020-2030 The National Mental Health Strategy and Suicide Prevention Agenda 2020–2030 are based on long-term preparations and broad-based collaboration. The starting point is the comprehensive approach of m...

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...

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...

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.

Screening Screening means examination of the population or a certain part of the population, or sampling in order to discover a certain disease or its precursor or to identify a pathogen. The purpose of screening is to look for early signs of a di...

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 ...

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...

Working life programmes Working life programmes The Government’s working life programmes produced concrete solutions for working life and the service system during the 2019–2023 government term. The implementation of the programmes was based on th...

Development of working life Thriving staff and work communities, together with safe work environments, form the basis for a sustainable working life and productivity. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is developing working life in accordan...

Social security internationally The Finnish social security system is largely based on residence in Finland. A person arriving in Finland for work purposes is entitled to residence-based benefits even if they do not live in Finland. The entitlemen...

Creating a good working life together A good working life improves wellbeing, the economic sustainability of society and the competitiveness of companies. A good working life requires that wellbeing at work, work ability and productivity be streng...

The national health and wellbeing programme seeks to reduce the wellbeing deficit and disease burden caused by the principal chronic diseases and conditions and their risk factors, to boost working and functional capacity, and to minimise disparities between population groups due to issues of health and wellbeing.

Tobacco and nicotine policy The Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health directs and develops Finland’s tobacco and nicotine policy, the aim of which is ending the use of tobacco and other nicotine products. The goal has been confirmed in the...

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health’s principles of a safer space The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health adheres to the principles of a safer space. The safer space principles refer to common practices and approaches that aim to make a space ...

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...

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. ...

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 ...

Safety of pharmacotherapy Pharmacotherapy is an integral part of comprehensive care. At its best, pharmacotherapy can cure illnesses, slow the progression of illnesses, reduce the symptoms of illnesses and prevent illnesses. Safe pharmacotherapy c...

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...

WORK2030 - Development programme for work and wellbeing at work The implementation of the WORK2030 programme has been based on the Programme of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Government. The aims of the programme have been to reform operating practi...

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...

6.4.2022 | Markku Lehto, Jyri Liukko, Pasi Moisio Vapauden, tasa-arvon ja solidaarisuuden rajat sosiaalipolitiikan uudessa paradigmassa SOSIAALITURVAKOMITEAN JULKAISUJA 2022:6 Vapauden, tasa-arvon ja solidaarisuuden rajat sosiaalipolitiikan uudessa paradigma...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Equal pay Equal pay is a fundamental and human right. Under the Finnish Equality Act, people performing the same work or work of equal value must receive the same pay, irrespective of their gender. Reducing pay gaps is a central equality issue and...

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,...

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...

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...

General social security benefit The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is preparing a general social security benefit. The benefit would include a basic allowance for living, an allowance for housing costs and a discretionary allowance as last-...

Gambling Policy Programme improves prevention and reduction of harm The Gambling Policy Programme, prepared under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, sets guidelines for the prevention and reduction of harm caused by gambling up to 2030. It...

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...

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...

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

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...

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 ...

9.5.2022 | 1 KUNNALLINEN TOIMEENTULOTUKI EHKÄISEVÄN LASTENSUOJELUN VÄLINEENÄ 1. TARKOITUS JA TAVOITTEET 1.1. Tutkimuksen lähtökohdat Mitä enemmän kunnassa on sosiaalisissa riskitilanteissa eläviä kansalaisia (kuten työttömiä, matalasti koulutettuja ja epävak...

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 ...

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...

Wellbeing services counties will be responsible for organising health, social and rescue services Wellbeing services counties will be responsible for organising healthcare, social welfare and rescue services in Finland. There are 21 wellbeing serv...

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...

18.2.2022 | Sosiaaliturvan monimutkaisuus Sosiaaliturvakomitean ongelmaraportti SOSIAALITURVAKOMITEAN JULKAISUJA 2022:1 Sosiaaliturvan monimutkaisuus Sosiaaliturvakomitean ongelmaraportti Sosiaaliturvakomitean hallintojaosto Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriö Hel...

14.1.2026 | Gendered vulnerabilities of boys and young men must be taken into account when planning education and health and social services. The latest report calls for a shift from gender neutrality to gender-sensitive policymaking that recognises differences between genders and identifies specific needs. It proposes that raising competence levels and preventing violence should be set as shared national goals across all work with children and young people.

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...

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 ...

9.5.2022 | 1 Liite: HANKESUUNNITELMA Lastensuojelun ja nuorisopsykiatrian yhteisasiakkuus: Lastensuojelun sosiaalityön ja nuorisopsykiatrian yhteistutkiminen ja -kehittäminen Länsi- ja Itä-Suomessa, LANUPS-hanke Konsortio: Turun yliopiston sosiaalityön ja nu...

Good Work Programme – Creating more appeal and staying power in the healthcare and social welfare sector Mounting service needs driven by an ageing Finnish population, higher rates of chronic diseases, evolving expectations and new technologies – ...

The Committee for Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (NAPE) is the coordination body required under the Council of Europe Convention (Finnish Treaty Series 53/2015, the so‑called Istanbul Convention), responsible for the coordination, monitoring and impact assessment of the measures necessary for the Convention’s implementation. [This is a machine translation, we do not guarantee the quality and accuracy of the translations produced.]

The Advisory Board for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is the national coordinating mechanism for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Its function is to promote national implementation of the Convention and to take into account the rights of persons with disabilities in all aspects of government. The Board operates under Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. It consi...

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...

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...

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...

Family benefits The purpose of the benefit system for children and families is to safeguard the subsistence of the child and those responsible for his or her care, and to support the care of the child. The benefits are applied for at the Social 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 ...

Legislation on termination on pregnancy

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...

10.1.2023 | SOSIAALITURVAKOMITEAN JULKAISUJA 2020:7 Tuomo Alasoini, Matti Joensuu, Pirjo Juvonen-Posti, Noora Järnefelt, Aart-Jan Riekho , Pauliina Toivio, Jarno Turunen Työelämän ja työmarkkinoiden muutos Haasteita ja kehittämistarpeita sosiaaliturvan uudist...

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...

4.12.2025 | The economy of wellbeing offers tools for policy makers to secure the preconditions for a good life both for the current population and future generations. A new working paper by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) analyses how wellbeing economy practices have been integrated into decision-making in ten countries. This comparison will also help Finland create its own governance model.

2.12.2025 | Finland has ranked 8th in the Gender Equality Index for the European Union (EU). The Index measured gender equality in various domains, such as work, health and power. The data for the most recent Index is mainly from 2023 and 2024.

International examples to help Finland create governance model for wellbeing economy 4.12.2025 8.46 The economy of wellbeing offers tools for policy makers to secure the preconditions for a good life both for the current population and future gene...

9.1.2026 | Radical Health Festival, Europe’s leading health sector event, will take place in Helsinki from 19 to 21 January 2026, offering an international setting for leading health sector experts to discuss how to leverage artificial intelligence and data in healthcare. The event will gather professionals, decision-makers and businesses in the field to accelerate renewal in health and social services.

15.1.2026 | In the first stage, the general social security benefit will be a new social security benefit for unemployed jobseekers, replacing the existing labour market subsidy and basic unemployment allowance. The legislation on the general social security benefit is scheduled to enter into force on 1 May 2026.

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.

Earnings-related pension Earnings-related pension is paid to a person who has accrued pension according to his or her earnings either in an employment relationship or as an entrepreneur. The size of the earnings-related pension is determined accor...

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...

20.11.2025 | The Government proposes amendments to the Act on Healthcare Professionals that will make it possible to receive international assistance for healthcare in different kinds of crisis situations. The aim is to facilitate and speed up the operations of humanitarian assistance providers in Finland when assistance is needed fast.

4.11.2025 | The Second UN World Summit for Social Development will be organised on 4–6 2025 November in Doha, Qatar. The summit will strengthen the global commitment to social development. Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen will represent Finland at the summit.

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...

8.12.2025 | This year, the International Gender Equality Prize was awarded to Masha Foundation , a Ukrainian public organisation which carries out significant work to help Ukrainian women overcome the psychological consequences of war and other violence.

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.

10.12.2025 | An independent group of experts has conducted a broad-based interim evaluation of the wellbeing services county reform, which was published on 10 December. Minister of Social Affairs and Health Kaisa Juuso, Minister of Local and Regional Government Anna-Kaisa Ikonen and Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen consider the findings valuable.