Kouvola residents rally to protect Ratamokeskus night emergency care

More than 250 people gathered in Kouvola despite steady rain to protest in support of overnight emergency services at Ratamokeskus, Yle reported.

Ratamokeskus, a hospital and social and healthcare centre in central Kouvola, serves the city’s approximately 70,000 residents. Protesters holding umbrellas and wearing raincoats chanted slogans in support of keeping its night emergency department open.

“This is an absurd situation. There are so many of us that closing the night emergency department makes no sense,” participant Sanni Sahanen said.

The night emergency department is one of the potential savings measures being considered while the Kymenlaakso wellbeing services county is undergoing a state assessment procedure. The wellbeing services county itself does not want to reduce the service.

The assessment group includes representatives of the ministries and the wellbeing services county. If the ministries propose the night emergency department as a savings measure, the county must consider it. The first proposals are expected during the autumn.

Kymenlaakso has been placed under the procedure until 2027 after accumulating a deficit of more than 100 million euros. In 2024, demonstrations over the issue drew as many as about 1,000 people, and nearly 40,000 people signed a petition supporting the night emergency department.