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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.

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.

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

16.4.2026 | The Government proposes amendments to the Act on Child Home Care Allowances and Private Childcare Allowances. The proposal would implement the Norwegian model for child home care allowance. The proposal seeks to promote the integration and labour market position of women with an immigrant background and to increase the participation of children in early childhood education and care.

Kansallinen ikäohjelma vuoteen 2030 Tavoitteena ikäkyvykäs Suomi Periaatepäätös Valtioneuvosto, Helsinki 2022 Valtioneuvosto This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohi...

17.2.2026 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is requesting comments on a proposal to amend the Act on Child Home Care Allowances and Private Childcare Allowances. The proposal seeks to promote the integration and employment of women with an immigrant background and to implement the so‑called Norwegian model for child home care allowance, in line with the Government Programme of Prime Minister Petter Orpo.

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.

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.

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.

Municipalities are responsible for promoting health and wellbeing.

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...

Project on medicines and financial base of pharmacies The Government Programme includes numerous entries related to medicines and pharmacies. These entries will be implemented in a project titled ‘Medicines and the financial base of pharmacies’ in...

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...

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...

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...

fi sv en National neurocenter Neurocenter Finland accelerates collaboration in neuroscience Neurocenter Finland maintains comprehensive and up-to-date information on research projects, infrastructures, methods, materials and innovations in the fie...

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 service reform: Reform of the content and operating methods of health and social services The service reform will reform the legislation concerning the contents of health and social services and the related guidance to correspond to the c...

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...

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 ...

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...

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. ...

Patient ombudspersons and social services ombudspersons Patient ombudspersons and social services ombudspersons advise and assist patients or social welfare clients in situations where they are dissatisfied with the healthcare or social welfare se...

The Child Strategy is Finland’s national long-term plan for strengthening the wellbeing and rights of children, young people and families with children.

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....

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...

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...

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...

Supervision of the insurance sector The insurance sector is supervised to safeguard the interests of the insured and the beneficiaries. The Financial Supervisory Authority supervises the insurance sector The Financial Supervisory Authority (FIN-FS...

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

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...

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...

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...

fi sv en Personalised medicine creates preconditions for more effective treatment Personalised medicine promotes the health and wellbeing of individuals by utilising research, new technologies and a wider range of information resources. The aim is...

Finances and operations This page provides information about the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health’s operational and financial planning, budget, performance guidance process, operating plans and financial statements. The Ministry is responsibl...

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...

International Labour Organization ILO ILO, the International Labour Organization, sets labour standards through conventions and recommendations, and monitors and supports its member states in their application. The Ministry of Social Affairs and H...

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

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

Gender equality The MSAH plays a key role in promoting gender equality by preparing legislation, monitoring the situation of gender equality nationwide, coordinating the development of activities on gender equality and promoting the implementation...

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...

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...

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

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...

Further information fi sv en Drug Development Centre to promote competitive development of drugs Finland has competitive basic medical research of high quality that has the potential of developing new medicinal products. However, so far commercial...

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...

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 ...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is Finland’s most important international partner in the development and evaluation of health policy in Finland and globally. Finland is an active participant in global health policy an...

Gambling system The regulation of the provision of gambling services concerns the general organisation of this provision as well as the supply of gambling services in more detail. The general way how services are organised sets the framework for t...

Limited interaction with the tobacco industry According to Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), which Finland ratified in 2005, the Contracting Parties must, in setting and implementing their public health pol...

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.

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...

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...

Housing allowance The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for the general planning, guidance and supervision of the housing allowance legislation. The Ministry of Education and Culture in turn is responsible for the housing supple...

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...

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...

Income security A central feature of welfare and social security is to provide support to people in vulnerable situations. Legislation » Legislation concerning income security. Financial assistance for families with children » There are various fo...

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 ...

Services for older people Shortly Wellbeing services counties organise health and social services for older people. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities have published a quality recomme...

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...

Amending the Act on the Secondary Use of Health and Social Data The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is preparing a government proposal for amending the Act on the Secondary Use of Health and Social Data (555/2019). The Act will be amended in...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

Mental Health at Work Programme Mental wellbeing is a success factor in working life and a driver of employment. The Mental Health at Work Programme emphasises the importance of adopting preventive measures and promoting mental health in working l...

Occupational safety and wellbeing at work Shortly The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for legislation, policies and international cooperation related to occupational safety and wellbeing at work in Finland. The aim is to ensur...

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...

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...

Unemployment security Shortly Unemployment security consists of basic unemployment allowance, earnings-related unemployment allowance and labour market subsidy. You are eligible for benefits if you meet the prior work requirement and register as a...

RDI Growth Programme for Health and Wellbeing The aim of the RDI Growth Programme for Health and Wellbeing is to support the wellbeing services counties in renewing themselves in order for them to better promote people’s health and wellbeing and i...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

12.12.2025 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health will launch a pilot project in early 2026 to test a nationwide model and indicators for knowledge-based management designed to support research, development, education, innovation and competence development in the wellbeing services counties.

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 Government appointed a parliamentary monitoring group to support the legislative drafting project launched by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health to lay down the principles for the national choice of effective services and methods. [This is a machine translation, we do not guarantee the quality and accuracy of the translations produced.]

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.

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

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.

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...

25.11.2025 | Finland will publish its new national Action Plan for the Istanbul Convention on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The objective of the Istanbul Convention is to ensure that every girl and woman has a future without violence. Finland’s new action plan, covering the years 2026–2033, outlines several long-term objectives and lists altogether 37 practical measures.

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.

7.9.2023 | Ukrainan presidentin puolison Olena Zelenskan kutsusta Kiovassa järjestettiin presidenttien puolisoiden kolmas huippukokous 6.9.2023. Huippukokoukseen kokoontui myös EU-maiden ja WHO:n Euroopan alueen maiden terveysministereitä, jotka allekirjoittivat tilaisuudessa julkilausuman.