The Finnish healthcare system is founded on the constitutional responsibility of public authorities to provide medical services and promote the health of all residents regardless of place of residence and ability to pay. In addition to offering comprehensive, universal coverage of health services, Finnish healthcare policy has also long aimed at fair distribution of services and costs.

According to the patient safety and health service quality survey published by the EU Commission on 16 April Finns are generally confident about the national health services, and perceive them to be of a higher standard than the European average. However, structural problems related to shortages of doctors in the public health system, enhancing trends towards privatisation, and the threats posed by cuts to state subsidies in the wake of the recent economic recession are compounding worries that universal and fair distribution of public health services is no longer feasible. The ensuing discussion centres on worries about growing welfare disparities and the ever more thorough social exclusion of the minorities who are already worst-off and ever more in need of the dwindling public health and social services.

STT
ALEKSIS TORO – HT