Healthcare and Medical Services

Everyone has the right to healthcare services in Finland. Health services are provided by local authorities and some private companies.
Emergency number is 112.

Hospitals

In an emergency you will be admitted directly into a Finnish hospital. If the situation is not an emergency you should first contact a local health centre. In a dental emergency, turn to the dental clinic in a health centre and make an appointment.

Finland is divided into 20 hospital districts, Lapland Hospital District in Rovaniemi operates in North Finland.

Municipal Health Centres

Primary healthcare is provided by municipal health centres. They are usually only open for specific hours on weekdays, so you should make an appointment to see a doctor if you want to avoid a lengthy wait. You need to use the centre which is closest to the place where you live; it is not possible to make a doctor's appointment at a different surgery than the one most local to you.

Health centres are run by municipal councils and no central directory is available for the whole of Finland. When looking for a local health centre, go to the city's web site at www.cityname.fi (ex. www.helsinki.fi) - many of these sites have English versions with healthcare information. Alternatively call telephone directory information on 118 and ask for the local health centre (terveysasema).

Pharmacies

Prescription medicines are sold only at pharmacies. Some are sold without a prescription but for stronger medication a doctor's prescription is required. There is always one pharmacy in town that is open late.

Red Cross

The volunteers of the Finnish Red Cross operate in over 500 local departments. They maintain first-aid capacity in case of accidents and crisis situations.

Rescue Helicopter

There is a rescue helicopter Aslak, based in Sodankylä, operating in Finnish Lapland. Aslak operates Helicopter Emergency Medical Services and Search And Rescue missions. In case of an emergency, call 112.