Emergency services at Oulaskangas Hospital in Oulais face closure without exemption from Ministry of Social Affairs and Health

Around-the-clock emergency services at Oulaskangas Hospital in Oulais, North Ostrobothnia, will cease unless the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health grants an exemption. Should these plans proceed, the hospital’s specialized emergency care will end in April 2024, while primary health care emergency services will conclude in October 2025. The only remaining service would be a limited urgent care provision during business hours, along with evening and weekend services. The distance to the University Hospital of Oulu is 102 kilometers.

Nurse and midwife Marjo Kontinaho, who works in the hospital’s emergency department, expresses her deep concerns regarding the situation. “What will happen to patients in our region who need urgent care? Will emergency services be able to meet people’s needs? Currently, patient transports to Oulu already tie up ambulances, and the cessation of these services will only increase transportation demands.”

Kontinaho is particularly anxious about potential complications for pregnant women. For instance, in cases of ectopic pregnancies, heavy bleeding can occur in the early weeks, necessitating that emergency services provide life-saving transfusions during transport to Oulu for surgery. “We’ve heard that blood pressures can drop to dangerously low levels even after emergency transfusions,” she adds.

She questions why Kouvola was allowed to maintain its overnight emergency services, citing its population of 80,000. “We have over 110,000 residents here; what justifies Kouvola’s services but not ours? This is incomprehensible to me,” Kontinaho says, admitting to feelings of anger and frustration as she and her colleagues feel compelled to advocate for their hospital’s survival on their own time outside of work.