Patient injury claims hit record high in Finland

Finland’s Patient Insurance Centre has received a record number of patient injury reports this year, with claims already exceeding 10,800 in 2025, according to director Minna Plit-Turunen.

So far in 2026, nearly 300 more injury reports have been filed compared to the same period last year, and the total may surpass last year’s figure. About a quarter of all claims result in compensation, though the proportion of compensated cases has not risen in line with the increase in reports.

In 2025, 86 fatal patient injuries were compensated, most of which were classified as preventable treatment errors. Surgical procedures—particularly hip, knee, and spinal operations—are the most common sources of compensated claims.

Plit-Turunen attributes the rise in reports to increased healthcare activity, as reduced waiting times have led to more treatments, and to greater patient awareness of the compensation system. She welcomes the low threshold for reporting suspected injuries, as it helps identify cases eligible for compensation.