Finnish government proposes new healthcare law to centralize nighttime emergency services

The Finnish government submitted its proposal for a new healthcare law just over a week ago. The proposal will be presented to Parliament for discussion in the spring. The law aims to centralize nighttime emergency services at the main hospitals within welfare districts. If enacted, specialized emergency care during the night will cease in Savonlinna and Kemi, where only primary healthcare cases will be treated after hours.

Currently, there are two central hospitals in South Savo and Lapland, but these regions will only maintain one in the future. The consolidation of emergency services will also limit daytime surgical procedures. For instance, only minor surgeries will be performed in Savonlinna, while more complex surgeries will be discontinued.

Numerous demonstrations have taken place in Savonlinna, along with petitions advocating for the preservation of services at the central hospital level. Sirkku Pikkujämsä, a medical advisor from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, emphasized that essential specialized services, such as outpatient clinics, will remain in Savonlinna.

She noted that in 2023, only three nighttime surgeries occurred in Savonlinna, compared to 64 in neighboring Mikkeli. The focus on centralized emergency services stems from several key reasons: a rapidly aging and concentrated population, the need to secure basic services, the increasing specialization in the medical field, the effectiveness of modern emergency care, the convenience of remote services, and the challenges welfare regions face in making difficult decisions about hospital operations.