Southwest Finland wellbeing services region claims to have resolved billing issues – 8,000 unpaid invoices moved to enforcement

The Southwest Finland Wellbeing Services County (Varha) states it has addressed the problems in its billing and debt collection processes, which drew widespread criticism last autumn after thousands of residents received payment demands for years-old invoices they claimed never to receive. A report submitted to the regional council found no faults in Varha’s own systems but noted that the reliability of Posti’s mail handling could not be verified.

According to Yle, Varha will propose to its regional council on Monday that debt collection relief measures—such as extended payment deadlines and waived late fees—will end on 1 April. At the same time, around 8,000 unpaid invoices, totalling €18 million, will be gradually transferred to enforcement authorities.

By early March, customers had paid over €9 million in bills through the debt collection process. Varha previously faced criticism from the Deputy Parliamentary Ombudsman, Maija Sakslin, for unjustified delays in sending payment reminders. The region has pledged to improve its billing practices.

At least 17 formal complaints have been filed over the billing issues. Yle was unable to reach Varha’s leadership for comment on the report’s findings.