Haku

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...

Organisations and associations as part of the healthcare and social welfare system. There are more than 11,000 healthcare and social welfare organisations in Finland (2020). There are also a large number of organisations in the fields of sports, culture and rescue services.

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...

29.6.2026 | The Nordic Council of Ministers has opened a call for applications for funding to support a research project on the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in Nordic workplaces. The deadline for submitting applications is 25 September 2026.

15.6.2026 | At the initiative of Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has launched preparations for a national women’s health strategy. The aim of the strategy is to gather information on women’s health and identify solutions that can promote women’s health, wellbeing and ability to work.

4.6.2026 | The Government is proposing a new type of integration assistance. The general social security benefit would be paid as integration assistance to immigrants registered as unemployed jobseekers who do not meet the prior work requirement or have lived in Finland for less than three years.

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...

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...

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...

Implementation of sensible pharmacotherapy Service organisers are responsible for ensuring that residents have access to the necessary social and health care services. It is essential for service organisers and providers to ensure the implementati...

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

Social services The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for Finland’s social policy and prepares legislation on social welfare. Social welfare covers promoting social security and wellbeing and taking care of social welfare duties...

Municipalities are responsible for promoting health and wellbeing.

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 and support for people with disabilities Persons with disabilities have the right to equality, inclusion, self-determination, independent living, non-discrimination and the necessary individual services and support. The principle is that ...

Finnish social security system The Finnish social security system includes benefits and support that protect people’s livelihoods, as well as the provision of health and social services and employment services. Social security provides income secu...

Social security and services for people applying for and receiving international protection in Finland People applying for international protection leave their home countries for various reasons, for example, to escape war, persecution or insecuri...

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.

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

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...

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...

Responsibilities in preventing domestic and family in the Ministry’s branch of government The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) coordinates the nationwide work to prevent domestic and family violence. It also coordinates the network o...

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...

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

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 – ...

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...

“A career path can start in unexpected places – mine began as a Habbo Hotel moderator” Taina Pahkamaa‑Huusko has worked at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health since 2010 in a wide range of administrative roles. In her current position as Exe...

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...

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.

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...

Legislation on health and social services In Finland, the state's responsibility to promote welfare, health and security is rooted in the Constitution. This enshrines the right of everyone to income and to care, if they are unable to manage adequa...

Social- och hälsovårdens servicesystem och ansvar Social- och hälsovårdssystemet grundar sig på den offentliga social- och hälsovård som finansieras med statliga skattemedel. Tjänsterna produceras förutom av den offentliga sektorn även av privata ...

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...

Health services The aim of healthcare in Finland is to maintain and improve people's health, wellbeing, work ability and functional capacity and social security, as well as to reduce inequalities in health. The healthcare system is based on preven...

Services to families Services aimed at families support parents or other guardians in their efforts to ensure the well-being and good upbringing of children. Early childhood education and care Finnish early childhood education and care combines ed...

“What matters most is the people and how well they work together” Jari Keinänen has worked at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health for 25 years and leads the Wellbeing and Health Protection Unit. What motivates him are the variety of the work...

Preventing domestic and intimate partner violence The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for planning and guiding the prevention of domestic and family violence. The aim is to prevent violence and develop the nationwide service s...

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Hälsofrämjande insatser är en del av folkhälsoarbetet och deras betydelse framhålls i folkhälsolagen.

Contact information Department for Clients and Services in Healthcare and Social Welfare / APO Clients and Personnel Unit / ASI Janette Grönfors, Senior Specialist Department for Clients and Services in Healthcare and Social Welfare / APO, Clients...

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.

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

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...

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...

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

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...

Ledningen och organisationen Social- och hälsovårdsministeriets verksamhet leds av två ministrar och en kanslichef. Ministrarna kan bistås av en statssekreterare.. Social- och hälsovårdsministeriet har sex avdelningar. Avdelningarna svarar för ber...

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...

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.

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...

Mental health services The aim of mental health work is to strengthen people's good mental health and to reduce factors that undermine it. This work includes activities to promote mental health and prevent mental health disorders, as well as menta...

Prevention of human trafficking The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health aims to prevent social problems caused by trafficking in human beings and to identify and help victims. The Ministry’s responsibilities include ensuring that victims of traf...

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-...

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...

Preventing sexual harassment at work Sexual harassment is a major problem in terms of employment, wellbeing at work, careers and gender equality in working life. According to a survey by Statistics Finland, 54 per cent of women and 14 per cent of ...

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...

International organisations and treaties OECD Health OECD Data Explorer World Health Organization Emergencies Programme UN human rights treaties in force The European Social Charter NDPHS Thematic areas Nordic cooperation Vacancies at the Nordic C...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

Skadeverkningar av penningspel Åtgärderna för att förbygga och bekämpa skadeverkningar av penningspel samordnas på statsrådsnivå av social- och hälsovårdsministeriet. Åtgärderna styrs genom det spelpolitiska program som gäller till år 2030. Enligt...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

For the media Media contacts Annette Rinne, Head of Communications, tel. +358 295 161 169 Ministerial Communications Team: Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Please direct all media inquiries to the Communications Unit’s email at [email protect...

Kahdettatoista kertaa järjestettävät Tasa-arvopäivät kokoavat sukupuolten tasa-arvon parissa työskentelevät 7.–8.10. Espoon modernin taiteen museo EMMAan Tapiolaan. Tämän vuoden tapahtuman teema on työ, luokka ja raha. Tilaisuus tarjoaa ohjelmaa suomeksi ja englanniksi. Tapahtuman järjestää sosiaali- ja terveysministeriö yhteistyössä Espoon kaupungin, CARE4CAREER-hankkeen ja tasa-arvotoimijoiden verkoston kanssa. Tilaisuus striimataan. Etäosallistuminen edellyttää ennakkoilmoittautumista.

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...

Vanliga frågor om ändring av lagen om sekundär användning Vad handlar lagen om? Lagen gäller den sekundära användningen av personuppgifter inom social- och hälsovården. Sekundär användning betyder att de person- och registeruppgifter som uppkommer...

Tjänstemannaledningen Kanslichefen i egenskap av social- och hälsovårdsministeriets högsta tjänsteman leder och ansvarar för verksamheten. Understatssekreteraren stöder kanslichefen i de projektuppgifter som hänför sig till social- och hälsovårdsr...

Till medierna Medierna betjänas av Annette Rinne, kommunikationschef, tfn 0295 161 169 Ministeriekommunikationsteamet: social- och hälsovårdsministeri Vi önskar att medierna tar kontakt med kommunikationsavdelningen per e-post på adres-sen [email ...

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...

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Minister of Social Security Karoliina Partanen The National Coalition Party Minister of Social Security Karoliina Partanen is responsible for matters covered by the Department for Insurance and Social Security...

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...

Lag om vikariehjälp för renskötare 7 §: Maximiantalet vikariehjälpstimmar per renskötare under ett kalenderår fastställs genom förordning av social- och hälsovårdsministeriet före utgången av det föregående kalenderåret. Maximiantalet fastställs med beaktande av det anvisade anslaget för året i fråga.

Lag om vikariehjälp för renskötare 7 §: Maximiantalet vikariehjälpstimmar per renskötare under ett kalenderår fastställs genom förordning av social- och hälsovårdsministeriet före utgången av det föregående kalenderåret. Maximiantalet fastställs med beaktande av det anvisade anslaget för året i fråga.

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...

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...

Genomförandet av rationell läkemedelsbehandling Tjänsteanordnarna svarar för att invånarna får de social- och hälsovårdstjänster som de behöver. Det är väsentligt att anordnarna och producenterna av tjänsterna ser till att principerna för rationel...

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...

Social trygghet för professionella idrottsutövare, stipendiater och studerande Den sociala tryggheten och pensionsskyddet har för vissa yrkes- och befolkningsgrupper ordnats genom särskilda arrangemang. Professionella idrottsutövare De som får sin...

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...

“You rarely get such a close view of how decisions are communicated” Neea Hassinen worked as a communications intern at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, where she developed online communications and contributed to current affairs communi...

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...

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...

Avian influenza In 2023, avian influenza has circulated extensively among wild birds throughout Europe. Black-headed gulls especially have been heavily affected by the virus. In summer 2023, exceptionally large numbers of deaths were recorded amon...

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...

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...

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 ...