Karjalohja clinic expands services after village buys it for one euro

A village association in Karjalohja bought a closed health centre from the city of Lohja for one euro and leased it to an independent doctor, restoring services that the Western Uusimaa wellbeing services county had discontinued, Yle reports.

The clinic has been operating for six months with longer opening hours and a wider range of services than it had under the county. The doctor, Mamurkhon Akrami, says appointments are usually available within a few days. Summer residents in the surrounding area can also visit for urgent matters.

The association’s chair, Jussi Leppänen, says the clinic has been well received. The association has fielded inquiries from across Finland, and the model has been presented to members of parliament and ministers.

The county first decided to close the Karjalohja health centre but now buys the same services from the doctor-led clinic. The model is also expected to expand to the Central Uusimaa and Central Finland wellbeing services counties, as well as Helsinki, according to Anu Mustakari-Ilovuori, a service area director at the Western Uusimaa county.

Public procurement rules can make the model difficult to replicate, Mustakari-Ilovuori says. Public services must be procured under the law, which can be challenging for an individual doctor to navigate. The Western Uusimaa county now has 25 independent practitioner doctors across its territory; two work in Leppävaara in premises not controlled by the county.

The association is seeking funding to replace the health centre’s heating system. The building is heated by a boiler that uses a lot of electricity, making it expensive to run. The association says public environmental and rural development grants do not appear to be available because the clinic provides a service that is part of a public body’s statutory duties.

Karjalohja is a village and former municipality that became part of Lohja in 2013. It has just over 1,200 residents.