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Eduskunnan vastaus hallituksen esitykseen STM/2024/31

18.5.2026 | The World Health Organization (WHO) will hold its 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva on 18–23 May 2026. Finland’s delegation will be led by Minister of Social Affairs and Health Wille Rydman.

20.5.2026 | A new operating model and set of indicators have been prepared to promote innovation cooperation between wellbeing services counties and businesses. The aim is to provide a consistent way for the counties, and also nationally, to engage in effective cooperation with businesses.

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...

User's rights and requests for personal data When you want to know what data we store about you and who processes your data, you can check the data we have collected about you and update it, if necessary. You can submit a request to check your per...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

fi sv en Biobank activities will be harmonised Biobanks are part of the research infrastructure. In biobanks, samples of human origin and related data are stored for supporting research. Biobanks operate in Finland in connection with hospital dist...

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...

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

health security

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...

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

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...

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...

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...

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

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health’s assessment of the combined impacts of government proposals, taking into account fundamental and human rights. The assessment memorandums are prepared annually as part of official duties and published in the Government Project Register Hankeikkuna.

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...

Bedömning av miljökonsekvenser Förfarandet vid miljökonsekvensbedömning är en lagstadgad process för identifiering och bedömning av miljökonsekvenser genom vilken konsekvenserna för dels naturen, den byggda miljön, människornas hälsa och välbefinn...

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...

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.

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 ...

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.

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...

fi sv en National Genome Centre Data on people's genetic makeup helps make better personalised choices, target the screening of diseases, specify diagnostics, and choose the best and most effective treatment. In Finland, the development of persona...

Insurance-related appeals A policy holder, who is unhappy with an insurance company's decision, should first take the matter up with a representative of their insurance company. Policy holders may request a statement from one of the following insu...

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...

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...

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...

Conscripts allowance and other armed service benefits The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for developing and preparing the legislation concerning conscripts allowance. Conscripts and civilian servicemen as well as their family...

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 ...

Biobankernas verksamhet förenhetligas Biobankerna är en del av samhällets forskningnsinfrastruktur. Biobankerna förvarar prover från människa och tillhörande uppgifter för att stödja forskningen. Biobankerna i Finland är verksamma i anslutning til...

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...

HPV vaccinations By a decision of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the HPV vaccine has been included in the national vaccination programme (Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Decree 410/2013). The HPV vaccine prevents cervical cancer ...

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...

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.

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 – ...

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...

Internationellt samarbete Social- och hälsovårdsministeriet och dess förvaltningsområde idkar föregripande och globalt samarbete som främjar social- och hälsovårdspolitik både inom EU och på internationell och bilateral nivå. Ministeriet svarar so...

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...

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...

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...

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...

“At the ministry, I can bring together different parts of my studies in a remarkable way” Jere Päivinen is a Ministerial Adviser at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in the Department for Insurance and Social Security. His role brings toge...

“Opportunities to build something new this hands-on in central government are rare” Laura Kuusio works on advancing Finland’s national Child Strategy and the European Child Guarantee. What matters most to her is strengthening the participation of ...

Ansvar i förebyggande av våld i nära relationer och inom familjer för aktörer inom social- och hälsovårdsministeriets förvaltningsområde Institutet för hälsa och välfärd (THL) svarar för samordningen av det nationella förebyggande arbetet mot våld...

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...

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...

Säker läkemedelsbehandling Läkemedelsbehandlingar är en central del av en helhetsinriktad vård. Med läkemedelsbehandling kan man i bästa fall bota sjukdomar, bromsa sjukdomsförlopp, lindra sjukdomssymtom och förebygga sjukdomar. Säker läkemedelsbe...

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...

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 ...

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is preparing regulation on service choices in both healthcare and social welfare.

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...

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-...

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...

Förebyggande av sexuella trakasserier i arbetslivet Sexuella trakasserier är ett betydande problem med tanke på sysselsättningen, välbefinnandet i arbetet, arbetskarriärerna och jämlikheten i arbetslivet. Enligt Statistikcentralen har 54 procent a...

Arbetsverksamhet i rehabiliteringssyfte I korthet Arbetsverksamhet i rehabiliteringssyfte främjar arbetslösa personers arbets- och funktionsförmåga och livskompetens och förebygger marginalisering. Verksamheten är avsedd för personer som varit arb...

Rehabilitering Syftet med rehabilitering är att främja individens funktionsförmåga, förmåga att klara sig på egen hand, möjligheter att vara delaktig, arbets- och studieförmåga, sysselsättning och arbetshälsa. Rehabiliteringen utgår från rehabilit...

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.

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...

Unemployment security In brief Unemployment security consists of a general social security benefit and an earnings-related unemployment allowance. In order to be eligible for unemployment security, you must register with the employment authority a...

20.5.2026 | En ny nationell verksamhetsmodell och en uppsättning indikatorer har tagits fram för innovationssamarbetet mellan välfärdsområden och företag. Målet är att skapa ett enhetligt sätt, både regionalt och nationellt, att bedriva effektivt företagssamarbete.

Läkemedelsbehandlingens värdekedja Läkemedelsutveckling, läkemedelsforskning och innovationer En förutsättning för att nya läkemedelsinnovationer ska kunna uppstå är att det är möjligt att bedriva läkemedelsforskning och läkemedelsutveckling. Läke...

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...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.]

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, ...

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

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...

19.5.2026 | Commitment to measures to eradicate sexual harassment at work We, the undersigned key actors in Finnish working life, recognise that sexual harassment is a major problem in working life and it must be addressed actively and through concrete action...

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.

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,...

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...

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.

I pandemiavtalet syftet är att stärka den internationella beredskapen inför pandemier och andra hot mot hälsan.

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.

Stöd för barn och unga som insjuknat i narkolepsi och deras familjer 1. På vilket sätt har man erbjudit stöd åt familjer till barn med narkolepsi? Evenemang och kontakt Vid social- och hälsovårdsministeriet började man vidta nödvändiga och eventue...

15.1.2026 | The changes to be made to social assistance will, for example, strengthen the obligations of recipients to apply for full-time work and primary benefits. The overall reform of social assistance aims to clarify the role of social assistance as a last-resort and temporary form of assistance, prevent social exclusion among young people and strengthen general government finances.

Lagstiftningen gällande socialvården reformeras.

4.12.2025 | Hyvinvointitalous tarjoaa välineitä hallinnolle, joka turvaa edellytyksiä hyvään elämään myös tuleville sukupolville. THL:n uudessa työpaperissa analysoidaan, kuinka hyvinvointitalouden käytäntöjä on tuotu osaksi päätöksentekoa kymmenessä maassa. Toteutettu vertailu auttaa myös Suomea oman ohjausmallin muodostamisessa. 

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.

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...

RP 104/2023 rd AjUB 1/2024 rd RSv 9/2024 rd Lag om ändring av lagen om förteckningar och ett register över dem som i sitt yrke är exponerade för ämnen och processer som medför risk för cancersjukdom I enlighet med riksdagens beslut ändras i lagen ...

Ansökan om statsunderstöd år 2026 Statsunderstöd för 2026 är listade nedan. Statsunderstöd för främjande av individualiserad medicin Social- och hälsovårdsministeriet utlyser 1 miljon i statsunderstöd för främjande av individualiserad medicin. De ...

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.

13.11.2025 | En nationell samarbetsmodell föreslås för Finland som skulle samla aktörer inom läkemedelsprövningar och underlätta patienters tillgång till nya behandlingar. Med samarbetsmodellen FinTrials strävar man också efter att stärka Finlands ställning som ett attraktivt forskningsland och öka investeringarna inom sektorn. Förslaget har utarbetats av framtidshuset Sitra på begäran av social- och hälsovårdsministeriet.