Public Healthcare & Services in Finland
For Emergency Services call 112
Travellers / Visitors!
If you are not a citizen of an EU or EEA country and you need medical care using payment or travel insurance, you should contact a private healthcare provider.
Travellers from EU or EEA countries holding a European Health Insurance Card are entitled to use Finnish public healthcare, and can get information on accessing services from the Contact Point for Cross-Border Healthcare.
Introduction
Public healthcare is available to all permanent residents in Finland regardless of their financial situation. Primary health care services are provided by municipal health centres (terveysasemat), and specialised medical care is provided by district hospitals (sairaalat).
EU/EEA nationals on a temporary stay in Finland are entitled to state-provided medical treatment on provision of a European health insurance card.
Private healthcare is also available for those who prefer it.
Primary healthcare services include:
- Consultations with a doctor for people who have become ill, and for treatment of chronic illnesses - patients may be referred to specialists
- Health counselling, including health education, contraception advice, maternity and child welfare and medical examinations
- Screening and vaccinations
- Dental health services
- School and student health care
- Mental health services
- Emergency treatment; emergency cases are also handled by hospitals
- Home care services
Patient Fees
Public healthcare in Finland is not free, though charges are reasonable and generally affordable. Public healthcare is the responsibility of municipalities, and is primarily funded by taxation. It is also funded by patient fees. The maximum fees municipalities can charge are stipulated in the Act and Decree on Social and Health Care Client Fees.
Maximum Patient Fees
In 2024 the maximum out-of-pocket fee for treatment in primary health care ex. seeing a doctor at a health centre, is €23.00; this may be charged a maximum of three times per year. Fees for public healthcare have an upper limit per calendar year, beyond which clients are no longer required to pay (this does not apply to short-term institutional care).
Maximum patient fees, including hospital and dental fees, can be found in Finnish at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
stm.fi/en/client-fees
Low Income Households
If the standard fees will undermine statutory maintenance obligations of clients or their families, municipalities must reduce or waive charges according to clients' ability to pay.
Kela Card: Your Social Security & Health Insurance Card
When you visit a healthcare facility you will need to present your Kela card to prove your eligibility for social security and National Health Insurance in Finland. You will also need the card when purchasing medicines at a pharmacy; by showing your card you will receive the medicines at a reduced price.
Expat Finland's Social Security page details:
European Health Insurance Card
Citizens of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland are entitled to public healthcare upon provision of a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
For UK citizens resident in Finland post-Brexit, Kela states "You are entitled to a European Health Insurance Card granted by Kela if you are covered for health insurance in Finland."
If you are not from the European Union it is important to obtain travel insurance before visiting Finland, allowing you to use private healthcare services.
European Union citizens can also obtain travel insurance if they prefer to use private services.
Obtaining a European Health Insurance Card
Prior to travelling to other EU or EEA countries, eligible applicants should obtain the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from their country's national health insurance provider. The EHIC is free, and allows the holder access to state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the 27 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, under the same conditions and at the same cost as permanent residents.
Kela: Apply online. The card will be mailed to you.
Important - The European Health Insurance Card
- is not an alternative to travel insurance. It does not cover any private healthcare, or travelling costs such as a return flight to your home country, or lost/stolen property
- does not cover costs if you are travelling for the express purpose of obtaining medical treatment
- does not guarantee free services. Each country’s healthcare system is different; services that cost nothing at home may not be free in another country
Contact Point for Cross-Border Healthcare
The National Contact Point for Cross-Border Healthcare has been established in connection with Kela. It provides information on accessing healthcare outside your home country.
The website of the National Contact Point for Cross-Border Healthcare includes information about:
- Healthcare services for foreigners in Finland
- Healthcare services for Finns abroad
- European prescriptions
- Patient insurance and patient ombudsman
- Contact points and social insurance institutions in the EU countries
Contact Point for Cross-Border Healthcare:
www.eu-healthcare.fi
Email:
Getting Medical Treatment: Procedures
In an emergency call 112 or your hospital.
In case of illness:
- Travellers / Visitors: If you have a European Health Insurance Card and want to use Finnish public healthcare, contact the Contact Point for Cross-Border Healthcare about accessing treatment. If you intend to use travel insurance or simply pay for your treatment, contact a private healthcare provider.
- Residents: If you're using public healthcare you must visit your registered health centre and make an appointment; this is not usually possible by phone.
Making a Doctor's Appointment at a Public Health Centre
This can be time-consuming and is a common cause of complaint; in a busy health centre you may spend hours making an appointment to see a doctor. Each municipality has its own system, but typically you will:
- Go to your health centre, and take a number to speak to the receptionist
- The receptionist will put you in line to see a nurse, who determines the need for and priority of an appointment with a doctor
- If an appointment is made, it is usually some hours (perhaps half a day) later. It may be the next day
- If you have the wherewithal, doctor's appointments can be made quickly online or by phone with private healthcare providers
Telephone Health Service
Residents of Espoo, Helsinki, Kauniainen, Kerava, Kirkkonummi or Vantaa can call the Telephone Health Service on (09) 10023 for medical advice or information on health care services. The service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The telephone service staff consists of qualified medical staff, and the service is available in English, Finnish and Swedish. Service is the price of a normal telephone call.
Municipal Health Centres (Terveysasemat) in Finland
Primary healthcare is provided by municipal health centres - Terveysasemat.
Which Health Centre? Can I Change?
When you move and register your address, you will automatically be registered as a patient in the health centre local to your new address. You need to use that
centre; it is not possible to make a doctor's appointment at a different
health centre than the one at which you are registered.
Changing your Registered Health Centre: At your registered health centre; complete a written application form requesting registration in a different centre. This process will be completed within three weeks; during that time you will still need to attend your original registered health centre.
Health Centre Contacts
Health centres are run by municipal councils
and no central directory is available for the whole of Finland.
If a link for your area does not appear below, try going
to your city's website at www.yourcityname.fi (ex.
www.helsinki.fi) - these sites have English versions
with health centre information. Alternatively call telephone
directory information on 118 and ask for your registered health centre (terveysasema).
Direct links:
- Espoo > Health Center Services
- Hämeenlinna > Social & Health Services
- Helsinki > Health & Social Services
- Jyväskylä > Health Services
- Kuopio > Health & Hospital Services
- Oulu > Wellbeing Services
- South Karelia* > Health
*services for Lappeenranta, Lemi, Luumäki, Imatra, Parikkala, Rautjärvi, Ruokolahti, Savitaipale, and Taipalsaari - Tampere New site under development
- Turku > Social & Health Services
- Vantaa > Health
Hospitals (Sairaalat) in Finland
For Emergency Services call 112
In an emergency you will be admitted directly into a Finnish hospital. If the situation is not an emergency you should first contact a health care centre. In a dental emergency, the Health Services section of your municipal website will advise how to obtain urgent treatment.
Finland is divided into 20 hospital districts. The Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS) is the largest of these, comprising about 30 hospitals.
- Helsinki / Uusimaa hus.fi
Hospital directories in other districts:
- Central Finland, Hospital Nova hyvaks.fi/sairaala-nova
- Southwest Finland tyks.fi
- Ostrobothnia en.osterbottensvalfard.fi
- Finland-wide Directory eu-healthcare.fi
For other districts call 118 and ask for the local hospital (sairaala).
Organ Donor or Non-donor?
In Finland, as in many countries, there is a deficiency of suitable human organs for transplantation. Finnish legislation was amended in 2010 to include presumed consent to organ donation unless the deceased had expressly opposed the procedure when alive.
Quick Identification of Donors
Time is of the essence when harvesting donor organs, and a challenge in Finland is the speedy identification of organ donors and non-donors; donor status is not shown on drivers' licenses in Finland as it is in some countries.
Identify yourself as an organ donor or non-donor:
Your assistance could literally save someone's life!
- You can get a free organ donor status card, Elinluovutuskortti, at any pharmacy; simply add your name, date and signature. Carrying this card is still regarded as the best way to quickly identify your donor status. or
- Download a donor card as a PDF. KYLLÄ (YES) for people who consent to organ donation, or EI (NO) for those who do not consent.
Donor Status Cards or - Donor consent or non-consent can be registered at Finland's online service for healthcare users www.kanta.fi (login requires electronic banking credentials, a mobile certificate or an electronic ID card). Register your choice in the Elinluovutustahto section.
Blood Donors
Finnish blood bank officials say patients from Finland and its neighbouring countries display few differences in blood types. However they point out that patients with backgrounds from countries further afield may have rare blood types or blood group combinations that are difficult to match with Finnish donors. They are asking for more donors with foreign backgrounds to roll up their sleeves and give blood.
The Finnish Red Cross operates a professional, national blood donation service, without compensation.
Become a blood donor: bloodservice.fi
Pregnancy & Maternity
Women should visit a maternity clinic as
soon as they become pregnant or before the end of the 4th
month of pregnancy. The clinic monitors the health of the
pregnant woman and the child and organises antenatal classes
for mothers and fathers. The services are free of charge
for the customers of the clinic. Once the infant is born,
the doctors and nurses of the infant healthcare clinic take
care of the health and vaccinations of the child. Information
on the topic can be found on the website of the
Ministry of Social Affairs & Health > Maternity and child welfare clinics
Your registered health centre will provide you with more information on maternity and infant healthcare clinics.
Maternity Grant and Maternity Package
Pregnant women who are permanent residents in
Finland are entitled to a Maternity Grant as long as certain conditions are fulfilled. Maternity grants
are available either as a tax-free lump sum payment or as a
Maternity Package of clothing and other essentials for a baby. Pregnant mothers
who have been permanent residents in Finland for a sufficient
period of time are entitled to a Maternity Allowance.
See: www.kela.fi > Families
Pregnancy in Difficult Circumstances
If you are pregnant and do not have a partner
to support you, you can receive support for instance from The Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters. Families receive support
in relation to parenthood and life management. Mothers are
welcome while they are pregnant or when they
have already given birth.
The Association of Single Guardians and Joint Guardians: Finnish-only Information on divorce, visitation rights, maintenance / child support and custody in Finland
See also: InfoFinland > Family
Abortion
Abortion is allowed in Finland in cases
where childbirth will cause a health risk for the woman or
if pregnancy and childbirth would cause a significant strain
on the woman’s life. Women under 17 years of age and
over 40 years of age are allowed to request an abortion on
the basis of their age. Abortions are provided free-of-charge in hospitals.
In practice, one of the following can be considered sufficient reason for abortion:
- family relations
- financial situation
- work situation
- housing
- future plans
If you are considering an abortion, consult your doctor.
Dentists (Hammaslääkärit)
Dental care is provided by the health care centres as described above.
Pharmacies (Apteekkit)
Medicines are sold only at pharmacies (you cannot buy aspirin, for example, in a super-market as you can in some countries). Some medicines are sold without a prescription but for stronger medication a doctor's prescription is always required. There is always at least one pharmacy in town that is open late. Almost all pharmacies have a queueing system; take a number when you enter the pharmacy!
Prescriptions: Finnish prescriptions are valid for one year from the date they are written. Foreign prescriptions are not valid in Finland, with the exceptions of prescriptions written in another Nordic country and EU cross-border prescriptions. You must specifically request EU cross-border prescriptions from your doctor.
Tip: There is an upper limit on annual medicine expenses. If your out-of-pocket expenses in a calendar year exceed the threshold Kela will notify pharmacies and reimbursement is paid automatically. A €2.50 co-payment still applies to each purchase made after you have reached the threshold. In 2020 the threshold is €577.66
Kela: www.kela.fi > Medicine expenses
Pharmacy Locations:
All Pharmacies: To find pharmacies in your area, the easiest way is via an Internet search. Search apteekki and your city / location. You can also try adding the postcode, or the name of a large street nearby. Alternatively:
- Apteekki.fi is a Finland-wide pharmacy search engine. Enter city, street name, postcode or a particular pharmacy's name in the search box.
apteekki.fi/apteekkihaku.html - Finnish - Yliopiston Apteekki: This Finland-wide chain of pharmacies generally opens for extended hours as well as on Sundays.
Locations: yliopistonapteekki.fi - Finnish
Mental Health
Foreigners´ Crisis Centre
The Finnish Association for Mental Health runs the SOS Crisis Centre, which offers short term crisis counselling and guidance for anyone living in Finland including immigrants, asylum seekers, victims of human trafficking and undocumented immigrants. It assists with problems such as:
- Difficult situation in life
- Difficulties adapting to a new culture
- Marital relationship problems and family problems
- Suicidal thoughts
- Sudden losses
- Accidents, violence
- Mental health problems
The SOS Crisis Centre is free of charge and a referral is not needed to make an appointment. Counselling is available in Arabic, English, Finnish or Swedish, and interpreters can be arranged for other languages if necessary.
www.mieli.fi/en/ En, Fi, Sw
Helpline: 09 2525 0113
Inquiries & Bookings: 09 4135 0510
Address: Maistraatinportti 4 A, 4th floor
00240 Helsinki
Open: Monday-Thursday, 09:00-12:00, 13:00-15:00 Friday: 09:00-12:00
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Association
SAMHA, the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Association, provides support services helping immigrants from all cultural backgrounds through drug addiction and recovery, as well as mental health issues, improving their ability to function independently and within society. SAMHA provides support and assistance as much as possible, as well as directing customers to additional services. SAMHA is a non-profit non-governmental organisation, religiously and politically independent.
samha.fi/en/ Ar, En, Fi, Fr
facebook.com/samhasuomi/
Phone: 046 880 6319
Open: Monday-Thursday, 10:00-16:00
Related Links
Links to other sites are direct to the relevant page, where possible
