Finnish parliament ends nighttime emergency services across multiple regions

Finland’s parliament approved a reform of the emergency and hospital network in December 2024, leading to the closure of round-the-clock primary healthcare nighttime emergency services at five hospitals last year.

In Central Finland, the nighttime service in Jämsä was shut down last autumn, along with the 24-hour emergency department at Salo Hospital in Southwest Finland and the Oulaskangas Hospital emergency department in the Oulu region. At the turn of the year, nighttime services in Iisalmi and Varkaus in North Savo were also closed. Earlier, nighttime emergency care had already ended in Raahe and Valkeakoski.

Half a year on, regional differences in patient volumes have emerged. In North Savo, the closures in Varkaus and Iisalmi have had little impact on patient numbers at Kuopio University Hospital’s emergency department. Total visits in early 2026 remain similar to 2025, according to Jouni Kurola, service area director at Kuopio University Hospital. While individual nighttime patient numbers have risen slightly, emergency services have transferred only a few more patients from Iisalmi and Varkaus than before.

In contrast, North Ostrobothnia, Southwest Finland, and Central Finland have seen clear increases. In North Ostrobothnia, the Oulu joint emergency department treated 204 more patients from the southern Oulu region in the first quarter of this year compared to 2025, rising from 250 to 454. This averages 2.3 additional patients per night, according to Salla Niemetmaa, communications specialist at the North Ostrobothnia wellbeing services county. From the Raahe area, patient numbers at the Oulu joint emergency department increased from 182 last year to 270 this year.

In Salo, the emergency department now closes at 10 p.m. According to calculations by the Wellbeing Services County of Southwest Finland, the number of patients transported from Salo to Turku University Hospital’s acute care unit (TYKS Akuutti) has risen from an average of 0.6 per night last year to 1.9 this year. Annually, this means an increase from 219 to approximately 694 patients.

Mikko Pietilä, head of hospital services at TYKS, acknowledges that staff shifts have lengthened in the evenings due to the higher patient load. He notes that while the increase is noticeable, it is not yet significant.

At Sairaala Nova in Jyväskylä, the number of patients arriving from Jämsä has at least doubled since the local emergency service closed, according to Tuomo Kyrönlahti, service manager for acute and general medicine. He adds that distance influences decisions to seek emergency care at night, with many opting to stay home rather than travel long distances for minor issues.