South Karelia weighs future of busiest health centre

Honkaharju health centre in Imatra, South Karelia, was the region’s busiest last year, with about 55,000 customer visits. Yle reports that its future may be affected as the South Karelia wellbeing services county reviews its health centre network and seeks to provide services at the lowest possible cost while keeping them accessible.

The least-used facility was the health centre in Lemi, which recorded about 6,000 visits. Visit numbers are not directly comparable because the centres have different opening hours.

Wellbeing services county director Sally Leskinen said officials had not considered closing health centres, but changes could still be made. The county is assessing the renovation and investment needs of its properties and looking for alternatives, including vacant premises owned by municipalities.

The location and future services of the health centres depend on several factors, including the local population, travel distances, transport links, the condition of the buildings and the possibility of providing services in another way.

In some parts of the region, health centre services could eventually be moved to premises connected to shops. Every municipality in South Karelia currently has its own health centre, although the services vary. In Rautjärvi, for example, a doctor is present only on Tuesdays.

Suna Kymäläinen, chair of the regional board, said the county wanted to retain a health centre in every municipality.

“Primary healthcare services will be available in every municipality in one form or another. But the final form of the services is still open,” she said.

Changes are already planned in Parikkala, where the wellbeing services county intends to close a 24-bed inpatient ward because of its high maintenance costs, among other reasons. The ward has largely relied on doctors hired through purchased services.

“The decision is painful. We have wanted to hold on to keeping health centre services in Parikkala,” Kymäläinen said.

An assessment group examining the county’s finances will begin work in September. Kymäläinen said the current review of operations was intended to ensure that the group could not dictate unwanted changes without the county being able to propose alternatives.

The condition and size of the properties are also a concern. The wellbeing services county rents most of its facilities.

Honkaharju was completed in 1964 and the Parikkala health centre in 1972. Honkaharju is in poor condition, expensive to rent and nearing the end of its service life. In Parikkala, the health centre premises are too large for the wellbeing services county and the property is also in poor condition.

Vesa Ömark, the regional board’s second deputy chair, said municipalities were primarily responsible for deciding the future of buildings in poor condition.

“The only way to get new premises is the Ruokolahti model, in which the municipality built a new health centre at its own risk,” he said.

Asked what he considered the best solution for Honkaharju, Ömark said the question was difficult to answer unequivocally.

Inpatient services at Honkaharju ended in December 2025. As part of its savings programme, the wellbeing services county concentrated primary healthcare beds at the central hospital in Lappeenranta.