Central
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
- Draft harmonised principles together with the National Institute for Health and Welfare;
- Coordinate the observance of national harmonised principles of medical and dental care;
- Plan, guide and supervise primary healthcare;
- Plan, guide and supervise specialised medical care.
National Institute for Health and Welfare (under the Ministry)
- Monitors welfare of the population;
- Provide expert assistance;
- Conduct research and development work;
- Function as a statistical authority;
- Engage in international co-operation
National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health
- Guide the operations of the Regional State Administrative Agencies in order to harmonise operations, procedures and decision practices.
- Charged with the supervision of the social and health care, alcohol and environmental health sectors. We provide licensing for social and health care providers
Regional State Administrative Agencies (State authorities)
- Provide direction and oversight of health care services;
- Grant licences to private health care service providers;
- Supervise health care professionals;
- Quality management;
- Addresses complaints;
- Facilitate discretionary and specified government transfers.
- Supervise environmental health issues including:
- Food safety;
- Animal health and welfare;
- Chemical control;
- Consumer safety;
- Oversight of health protection;
- Compliance with the Tobacco Act.
Regional
Åland competences
- Healthcare;
- Medical treatment;
- Central authorities have legislative powers with regard to:
- Human contagious diseases, castration and sterilisation, abortion, artificial insemination and forensic medical investigations;
- Qualifications of persons involved in healthcare and nursing,
- Contagious diseases in pets and livestock;
- Prohibit the imports of animals and animal products;
- Prevent substances destructive to plants from entering the country.
Local
- Primary healthcare in accordance with the national guidelines;
- Health promotion;
- Health counselling and health checks;
- Screening;
- Maternity and child health clinic services;
- School-based healthcare;
- Student healthcare;
- Occupational healthcare;
- Mariner healthcare;
- Counselling for the elderly;
- Environmental healthcare;
- Medical certificates;
- Medical care;
- Home nursing;
- Oral healthcare;
- Mental health services;
- Substance abuse services;
- Medical rehabilitation.
Responsible ministries/bodies
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
National Institute for Health and Welfare
National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health
National Public Health Institute,
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health;
Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority.
Åland Government
Local authorities and joint municipal authorities for hospital districts work together to monitor the observance of the harmonised principles of care.
Sources:
Act on Health Care (1326/2010), Section 7
Act on Primary Health Care Act (66/1972), Chapter 2.
Act on specialized Medical Care (1062/1989) as amended.
Act on the autonomy of Åland (1991/1144), Section 18 and 27
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health TTL
Finnish Medicines Agency (Fimea)
Health Care Act (1326/2010), Section 7
National Institute for Health and Welfare
National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health Valvira
Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK)
Regional State Administrative Agencies (social and health services, labour protection)
COVID-19
Fighting infectious disease: Responsibilities of the authorities
The task of healthcare and social welfare services is to safeguard that the population has the healthcare and social welfare services essential to their health and functional capacity and a healthy living environment in all conditions. Prevention of infectious diseases is part of healthcare and social welfare services.
Advice and guidance from health centre
As municipalities are responsible for organising healthcare, they are also responsible for the prevention of infectious diseases in their respective areas. Health centres give advice and guidance on infectious diseases. The primary contact point in matters concerning infections is always the local health centre.
Hospital districts are experts in the prevention of infectious diseases in their respective regions.
The Regional State Administrative Agencies coordinate and monitor the prevention of infectious diseases in their respective areas. They control that the hospital districts have sufficient healthcare preparedness for incidents in their respective regions.
National operators: Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for the general planning, guidance and monitoring of the prevention of infectious diseases.
The Advisory Board on Communicable Diseases, appointed by the Government, works under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. It monitors overall developments in infectious disease outbreaks and supports the Ministry's work in the prevention of infectious diseases.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health directs, monitors and coordinates healthcare and social welfare services' preparedness for incidents and emergencies together with other operators. The Preparedness Unit is responsible for preparedness matters at the Ministry.
The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) is a national expert agency that:
- guides and supports municipalities, hospital districts and regional state administrative agencies in their work to prevent infectious diseases
- studies infectious diseases and their agents and monitors infectious disease threats in Finland and abroad
- develops diagnostics, monitoring and prevention of infectious diseases and informs the public about them
- gives the public guidance on how to avoid infection and prevent the spread of disease.
THL is an independent research institute operating under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (TTL) is the expert agency in matters concerning risk assessments of work-related infections and the planning and implementation of prevention measures especially in occupational healthcare.
Cooperation necessary in the prevention of infectious diseases
Collaboration across administrative branches is essential for effective prevention of infectious diseases, and important partners in this work include healthcare and social welfare services, the border authorities and the media. Cooperation between Finnish authorities is complemented by international cooperation.
The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) works closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs publishes travel advice bulletins in Finnish and Swedish on the general security situation in different destinations.
- Travelling [hyperlink takes to a new website] (Ministry for Foreign Affairs)
Division of responsibilities based on the Communicable Diseases Act
The Communicable Diseases Act has provisions on the obligations of relevant authorities and on the cooperation between authorities. It is supplemented by the Government Decree on Communicable Diseases.
Preparedness for the novel coronavirus disease - A state of emergency in Finland
The Government has announced that there is a state of emergency in the country as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. The aim is to protect the population and to safeguard the functioning of society and the economy.
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in charge of preparedness
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for the general planning, guidance and monitoring of the prevention of infectious diseases. It began preparing for the coronavirus disease as soon as it started spreading. Finland's preparedness measures are based on a national preparedness plan for an influenza pandemic.
The Ministry has appointed a coordination group that will plan, manage and coordinate measures in healthcare and social welfare to prevent spread of the novel coronavirus.
An operational group working under the coordination group maintains situational awareness in the field and coordinates preparedness measures.
The Government Decree on Communicable Diseases was amended by adding the infection caused by the novel coronavirus on the list of generally hazardous communicable diseases. The amendment entered into force on 14 February 2020.
National and international cooperation
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health cooperates with various authorities to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease.
Important partners in material preparedness include the Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea (pharmaceutical services) and the National Emergency Supply Agency (security of supply).
Experts from the Ministry attend meetings of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
Guidance for local and regional authorities
The Ministry has issued guidance for municipalities, joint municipal authorities, hospital districts and regional state administrative agencies regarding preparedness for the coronavirus situation.
Guidance for workplaces
The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health has issued guidance for workplaces on how to prepare for the spread of the novel coronavirus.
There are guidelines also for healthcare personnel and other professionals who at work may come to contact with persons who have contracted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Legislation and principles guiding preparedness measures
The Communicable Diseases Act lays down the obligations of the authorities and the principles of cooperation between the authorities to prevent communicable diseases. It is supplemented by the Government Decree on Communicable Diseases.
Under the Emergency Powers Act, the state authorities and agencies and municipalities must ensure that their duties be performed with the least amount of disruption also in emergency conditions.
The principles of preparedness and contingency planning in healthcare and social welfare are explained in guidance documents published in spring 2019.
A Government Resolution on a Security Strategy for Society from 2017 defines the responsibilities and duties that operators in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health have in incidents during normal conditions and in emergency conditions.
Source: https://stm.fi/en/fighting-infectious-disease-responsibilities-of-the-authorities
Central government management of the coronavirus situation
On Monday 30 March, the Government decided to reorganise the management of the coronavirus crisis at the central government level. The COVID-19 Coordination Group set up in February, which initially consisted of the Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Preparedness of the ministries responsible for handling the coronavirus situation, was expanded to cover the Permanent Secretaries of all ministries. The emergency management organisation within the Prime Minister's Office was also strengthened.
The task of the Government COVID-19 Coordination Group is to implement the decisions made by the Government to curb the coronavirus epidemic and to coordinate cooperation between the ministries. It will continue to meet at least twice a week.
In addition to the Permanent Secretaries of the ministries, the Coordination Group includes Director of Government Security Ahti Kurvinen, Director of Government Communications Päivi Anttikoski, Head of Unit Heikki Hovi and Director of the National Institute for Health and Welfare Mika Salminen. The group is chaired by Mikko Koskinen, State Secretary to the Prime Minister. The group is supported by the ministries' Heads of Preparedness and Preparedness Secretaries, who are responsible for operational activities and cooperation.
The Situation Centre, which operates permanently in the Prime Minister's Office, is now primarily focused on monitoring the coronavirus situation and its effects. The Situation Centre is in charge of maintaining the situational picture and communicating it to the President of the Republic, the Government and other authorities.
An Operations Centre has also been established under the Prime Minister's Office to maintain an overall picture of the progress made in implementing the Government's decisions. The centre is led by Head of Unit Heikki Hovi. Communications are managed and coordinated by the Prime Minister's Office.
In addition, a group is being set up to coordinate arrangements for the post-crisis period.
Source: https://valtioneuvosto.fi/en/information-on-coronavirus/central-government
KUNTALIITTO – Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities
[no information on covid-19-crisis in their English language pages]
See: Koronavirus: Koottuja ohjeita ja yhteystietoja
Source: https://www.kuntaliitto.fi/koronavirus
