Posti repeatedly failed to deliver lab samples from Asikkala medical centre

Finnish postal service Posti has repeatedly failed to deliver laboratory samples from Vääksy Medical Centre in Asikkala, causing delays that have spoiled blood samples and forced patients to provide new ones, Yle reports.

The centre’s managing director, Tiina Wangel, said the delays have created extra work and costs, with some urgent samples requiring taxi transport to Helsinki at a cost of up to €300. Over the past year, the issues have accumulated thousands of euros in additional expenses.

Wangel noted that blood samples should ideally reach the central laboratory in Helsinki within 24 hours, and cold-chain samples must arrive the same day. Some mail shipments were not collected at all from the Lahti agency post office due to a sudden change in pickup schedules.

Posti apologised, attributing the failures to human error in some cases. Sami Määttä, head of domestic consumer letter services, said the company has investigated and taken steps to prevent recurrence. Posti also cited a reduced volume of mail as a possible factor behind the altered collection schedule at the Vääksy agency post.

Frustrated by the lack of communication, Wangel has since switched to a private transport company. She does not yet plan to raise patient fees but may adjust sample collection hours to offset costs.