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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...

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...

Register and information system descriptions When the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health processes personal data in the Government’s shared information systems , the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Prime Minister’s Office are join...

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...

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

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

12.2.2026 | The health status of people in Finland is in many respects better than the EU average, and the service system is fairly comprehensive. However, a recent country report by the OECD and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies indicates that access to care is not realised equally in Finland. In 2024, 12.4% of those who required medical care reported that they had not received the services they needed. The share is the second highest in the EU.

22.9.2025 | The Government has submitted a proposal to Parliament for an act on general social security benefit. In the first stage, the general social security benefit would be a new social security benefit for unemployed jobseekers, replacing labour market subsidy and basic unemployment allowance. The legislation concerning the general social security benefit is scheduled to enter into force on 1 May 2026.

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.

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.

17.4.2026 | A total of 5,000 patients have been evacuated from Ukraine to EU Member States under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The 5,000th patient was evacuated to Finland. Finnish Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen and EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib met on 16 April to discuss issues such as the evacuation of patients.

8.5.2025 | The series of social security dialogues held by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Timeout Foundation brought out a wide variety of views and development suggestions from citizens on the future of social security. The outcomes of the dialogues will be presented at a webinar on 15 May 2025.

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.

18.2.2026 | According to a report by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the gap between wellbeing services counties’ operations and finances widened in 2025. This trend is also expected to continue in the coming years. The underlying reasons include population ageing, an increase in service needs and uneven regional migration.

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...

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

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...

Information on cookies on the website Cookies are small text files that are saved in your browser when you visit a website. The purpose of cookies is to maintain certain user preferences (e.g. language) for a certain period of time. In this way, y...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Legislation on termination on pregnancy

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-...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

Preparedness centres for healthcare and social welfare As part of the health and social services reform, five centres for preparedness in healthcare and social welfare will be established in Finland to strengthen national preparedness and improve ...

Preparedness in Wellbeing Services Counties The Government proposes amendments to the Act on Organising Healthcare and Social Welfare Services concerning preparedness, readiness and incident management in both normal and emergency conditions. The ...

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...

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...

Guarantee pension Guarantee pension is a minimum pension from which the other pensions paid to the pension recipient are deducted from in full. The full amount of the guarantee pension in 2019 is EUR 784,52 per month. Provisions on guarantee pensi...

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...

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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 ...

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...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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.

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...

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 ...

Health and social services The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health sets the guidelines for developing health and social services, drafts the relevant legislation and guides the implementation of reforms. Legislation » Legislation on social and h...

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 ...

Municipalities are responsible for promoting health and wellbeing.

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...

Frequently asked questions about the operating models and division of duties of healthcare and social welfare personnel This page contains frequently asked questions about the operating models and division of duties of healthcare and social welfar...

European Committee of Social Rights The European Committee of Social Rights is an impartial investigative body working within the Council of Europe. The Committee investigates whether or not the countries that have ratified the European Social Cha...

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...

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

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...

Toteutetaan EU:n eurooppalaista terveystietoaluetta koskevan asetuksen (EHDS) täytäntöönpanon kannalta tarvittavat muutokset sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon asiakastietojen käsittelystä annettuun lakiin (703/2023, asiakastietolaki) sekä siihen liittyviin muihin lakeihin. Samalla tehdään kyseisiin lakeihin eräitä muita välttämättömiä muutoksia.

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

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...

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...

Whistleblower protection Whistleblower protection safeguards people who report certain types of misconduct. In this case, a ‘whistleblower’ is a person who, in the course of their work, discovers a breach of European Union or national law concerni...

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...

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health steers and develops chemicals legislation, which also covers colourants and auxiliary ingredients used in tattoos and permanent pigmentations.

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

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...

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...

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...

Preparation of EU matters Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) The EPSCO Council, which brings together ministers from all EU Member States, decides on EU cooperation in employment, social policy, health, consumer...

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...

Support and benefits The Finnish social protection system includes various forms of financial support and benefits designed to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to take part in working life and society in general. Children and parentho...

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...

Uudenmaan aluetta koskevan potilastietojen tietojenkäsittelyn ratkaiseminen väliaikaisen sääntelyn voimassaolon aikana siten, että terveydenhuollon ammattihenkilöillä on toistaiseksi voimassa olevan sääntelyn nojalla sujuva pääsy potilasturvallisuuden kannalta olennaisiin tietoihin potilaan tietosuojaa kunnioittaen.

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.

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

Kansallisen terveydenhuollon menetelmien arvioinnin organisoitumismallin kehittäminen on käynnistynyt tammikuussa 2025. Selvityshankkeessa tuotetaan kolme vaihtoehtoista terveydenhuollon menetelmien arviointitoiminnan organisoitumismallia. Selvityshankkeen loppuraportti valmistuu loppuvuodesta 2025.

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.

Hallituksen esitys eduskunnalle laeiksi terveydenhuoltolain ja sosiaalihuollon ammattihenkilöistä annetun lain muuttamisesta (Kaksiportainen psykoterapiakoulutus)

Hankkeen tarkoituksena on toteuttaa EU:n eurooppalaista terveysdata-avaruusasetusta (EHDS) täydentävä sääntely sosiaali- ja terveystietojen toissijaisesta käytöstä annettuun lakiin (toisiolaki, 552/2019) ja eräisiin muihin lakeihin.

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.

Contact information Communications Unit / VIE Communications Unit / VIE Iina Bister, Communications Specialist Communications Unit / VIE Address Meritullinkatu 8, 00170 Helsinki Phone number +358295163015 Email [email protected] Mariina Cervera Li...

17.12.2025 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is requesting comments on a draft government proposal that seeks to prevent intentional misuse of social welfare benefits, reduce incorrect social welfare payments and promote information exchange with the Social Insurance Institution (Kela). Statements may be submitted until 28 January 2026.

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...

Allmänt stöd Social- och hälsovårdsministeriet bereder ett allmänt stöd. Målet är att det ska finnas bara ett allmänt stöd som ska omfatta en grunddel för levnadskostnader, en del för boendet och en behovsprövad del som sistahandsskydd. Det allmän...

27.3.2019 | The Minister of Social Affairs and Health has selected the Slovakian company Allexis s.r.o. as the issuer of the mandatory identifiers associated with the traceability system for tobacco products

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.

18.2.2026 | 1 Joint conference statement Roma and Sinti Women in the Public Sphere: Turning Voices into Change 3 December 2025 I. Core values of equality and human rights We, the participants of the multi-country conference “Roma and Sinti Women in the Public...

13.11.2025 | A national collaboration model is being proposed for Finland to strengthen collaboration among key stakeholders in clinical research and make it easier for patients to access new treatments. The FinTrials collaboration model also aims to strengthen Finland’s position as an attractive country for clinical trials and increase investments in the sector. The proposal was made by the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra at the request of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

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...

31.10.2025 | Healthcare and social welfare 2040 vision Views and proposals of Ministry of Social Affairs and Health officials regarding needs for changes to the healthcare and social welfare service system Permanent Secretary Veli-Mikko Niemi In “Healthcare an...

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...

Pääministeri Orpon hallituksen ohjelman mukaisesti uudistetaan sairaaloiden ja päivystyksen kansallista kokonaisuutta ja erikoissairaanhoidon työnjakoa.

19.9.2025 | The WHO Pandemic Agreement was adopted at the World Health Assembly on 20 May 2025. Now negotiations are underway to agree an annex to the Pandemic Agreement that will establish a Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System. The negotiations took place in Geneva on 15–19 September 2025.

8.8.2025 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health proposes appropriations of EUR 14.8 billion for the Ministry and its branch of government for 2026. This is about EUR 475 million less than in the 2025 Budget. The funding of wellbeing services counties is not included in the appropriations for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and its branch of government. Instead, it falls under the main title of the Ministry of Finance.

20.5.2025 | The World Health Organization (WHO) is holding its 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva on 19–27 May. The Finnish delegation to the Assembly is led by Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen. The Assembly adopted the new WHO Pandemic Agreement on 20 May.

2.6.2023 | SUOMEN SÄÄDÖSKOKOELMAN SOPIMUS SARJA Julkaistu Helsingissä 31 päivänä toukokuuta 2016 (Suomen säädöskokoelman n:o 398/2016) Valtioneuvoston asetus 27/2016 vammaisten henkilöiden oikeuksista tehdyn yleissopimuksen ja sen valinnaisen pöytäkir- jan v...

9.12.2019 | The EU/EEA countries are moving towards electronic exchange of information concerning social security benefits for people moving from one country to another. To this end, the social security institutions will implement the so-called EESSI system (Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information).

22.9.2025 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has today published three memorandums assessing the combined impacts of the Government’s changes to social security during this parliamentary term. The memorandums focus particularly on the impacts of the comprehensive reform of social assistance.