Finland's healthcare system consists of public, private and occupational healthcare services. We recommend that you and any accompanying family members have appropriate health coverage when arriving in Finland, such as travel insurance (e.g. Swisscare or an equivalent policy) or a European Health Insurance Card. This helps ensure that you are covered while arranging access to healthcare services and settling into life in Finland.
Finland’s public healthcare system is known for its high quality and accessibility. Finland offers universal healthcare to all residents. This means that everyone living in Finland has access to healthcare services. The public healthcare services are provided by wellbeing services county and financed by taxation.
Some services, like maternity and child health clinic visits are free of charge.
You are entitled to use the public health care when you have registered a municipality of residence. Your citizenship or country of origin are not relevant. Your place of domicile is registered by the Digital and population data services agency. To register a municipality of residence (kotikunta), you need to provide evidence of your intention that you are going to remain in Finland permanently. When you are eligible for residence in a Finnish municipality, you have the right to use public health care services and you pay the same fees as locals.
Private healthcare complements the public healthcare services and many Finns use that e.g. for dentists, eye specialists and special services that are not covered by the Occupational Healthcare. Private healthcare can also be contacted if you fall ill and do not have access to Occupational Healthcare or Public Healthcare.
Patients who use private sector services pay the entire cost of the service to the provider, after which they can apply for partial reimbursement from Kela, if they are eligible for the National Health Insurance in Finland. Some might also acquire a private insurance, which could cover certain private medical costs like visit at a children's doctor or an operation at a dentist.
In Finland, occupational healthcare is a key component of the overall healthcare system, designed to ensure the well-being of employees. Employers are legally required to provide preventive occupational healthcare to all employees, regardless of the nature or duration of their employment. The primary focus is on preventive services, such as regular health check-ups, risk assessments, and workplace health promotion. These services aim to prevent work-related illnesses and injuries.
While employers must provide preventive care, offering additional medical care (like visits to doctors, psychologists, or physiotherapists) is voluntary. The specifics of what is covered can vary by employer. Contact your employer to find out what kind of occupational healthcare is available to you.
Occupational healthcare services provided by the employer are free of charge to employees.