Hauho lab cuts leave residents fearing further health service losses

Hauho residents say a reduction in local laboratory services is making healthcare harder to access and fear the health station could be next. The laboratory has been open just one day a week since March, Yle reports.

The Fimlab sample collection point at Hauho’s health station is open on Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. The neighbouring community of Lammi has laboratory services four days a week. Residents have appealed the cuts to an administrative court, saying they particularly affect older people and those without cars.

Fimlab says it bases opening hours on the number of visits and does not plan to add another day in Hauho. Regional service director Anna-Maija Haapala said demand and capacity at laboratories are reviewed weekly. Visits to Hauho’s point have increased as its opening days have fallen.

Fimlab directs patients to its Assi hospital service in Hämeenlinna, where walk-in rapid sample collection is available. Saturday opening will also be tested in November. Regional director Birgit Aikio said results from the local service are available the following day, while patients seeking results sooner should go to Assi.

Some residents say travelling to the city is difficult. Retired resident Marjatta Salminen, who visits the laboratory about every three weeks and does not have a car, said she relies on a neighbour for a lift. Local entrepreneur Olga Kuksina said reduced services take extra time from residents who must travel farther for tests.

Fimlab says Hauho is smaller than Lammi, and the difference in sample volumes helps explain their different opening schedules. Aikio said combining services for the two communities into a point open five days a week had previously been considered in a service network plan for the Tuulonen shopping centre.

Kuksina, who is also a member of the Hauho social and health services monitoring group and represents the local entrepreneurs’ association, said many self-employed people rely on public healthcare and may seek care only when necessary. She argued that cuts to healthcare could affect whether people stay in the community.

Tags: Hauho, healthcare, Fimlab