Public health care and how it works in Finland

Medical Consultation

We live a few minutes away from a health care center. If we needed to see a doctor urgently, we would give a call to the health care center and make an appointment for the same day. Usually they give a specific time when to come. Because doctors see more urgent cases first, you may wait in the waiting room over your appointment time. In urgent cases nigh time you must contact the hospital in a city near by.

With less urgent cases, you will get an appointment within a few weeks.

If you or your child need to a specialist, your local doctor sends you to a specialist to a private clinic. You make your appointment yourself and you don't need to wait for a long time to see a specialist. 

How much it cost to see a doctor in Finland? You pay 15-30 euros per visit. Children are free of charge. 

I must admit that we are luckier than most Finns, because the health care is very well arranged in our town: many services are bought from private clinics. In some other places you may wait for long time to see a specialist in a public health care. 

Even though the public health care is not expensive, many parents take health insurances for their kids, before they are born. The main reason is that they want to be able to take their child to a private clinic when needed. Our both children had insurances during their first year. Just in case. After that we changed their health insurances to accident insurances. 

Dental Care

Our kids get invited to see a dentist almost every year since they are one year old. For children (under 18 years old) these appointments and treatments are free of charge. The dentist will check their teeth and give advises. They want to prevent holes. That actually saves money. Generally Finnish kids should have good teeth if they remember brush them every morning before breakfast and evening before going to bed. And of course: they must remember to a take xylitol pastille after eating something. You probably didn't know that Finland kids are given a xylitol pastille in their day-care center after lunch?

Maternity Clinic

During the early state of your pregnancy you make an appointment to a maternity clinic. You will have an appointment about once a month during your pregnancy and if needed more often. You will have at least two ultrasounds to check how your baby is developing. All this is free of charge for you. 

When your baby is born he or she will have an appointment every month for the first six months and after that every other month until he or she is one year old. During the second year the check ups are twice a year and after that once a year. And again: you pay nothing for this service (except taxes!)