Skip to content
Government and ministries
  • Suomi
  • Svenska
  • English
Media
Search page »
  •  Front page
  • Current issues
    • Information and advice on the coronavirus
      • Current restrictions
        • Entry restrictions and health measures in place in Finland
      • Questions and answers
      • Information on the coronavirus by telephone and chat
      • Topical material
        • Government press conferences
        • Government press releases
        • Ministries' press releases
      • Management of the COVID-19 situation in central government
        • Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
        • Ministry for Foreign Affairs
        • Ministry of Education and Culture
        • Ministry of the Interior
        • Ministry of Justice
        • Ministry of Finance
        • Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
      • Finland forward
    • Press releases
    • News
    • Speeches
    • Webcasts
    • Social Media Newsroom
    • Themes
      • Government formation talks 2019
      • State funeral of former President of the Republic Mauno Koivisto
      • Open house 2019
    • Sign up
  • Marin's Government
    • Ministers
      • Prime Minister
      • Minister of Science and Culture
      • Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering
      • Minister for Foreign Affairs
      • Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade
      • Minister of Justice
      • Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality
      • Minister of the Interior
      • Minister of Defence
      • Minister of Finance
      • Minister of Local Government
      • Minister of Education
      • Minister of Employment
      • Minister of Agriculture and Forestry
      • Minister of Transport and Communications
      • Minister of Economic Affairs
      • Minister of Social Affairs and Health
      • Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services
      • Minister of the Environment and Climate Change
    • State Secretaries to the Ministers
    • Special Advisers to the Ministers
    • Government Programme
      • 1 Introduction
        • 1.1 Our pledges to citizens on policy reforms
      • 2 Finland as a sustainable economy
        • 2.1 Taxation in a changing world
      • 3 Strategic themes
        • 3.1. Carbon neutral Finland that protects biodiversity
          • 3.1.1 Housing policy
        • 3.2 Globally influential Finland
          • 3.2.1 Policy on Europe
        • 3.3 Safe and secure Finland built on the rule of law
          • 3.3.1 Strengthening the rule of law
          • 3.3.2 Defence policy
        • 3.4 Dynamic and thriving Finland
          • 3.4.1 Transport network development
          • 3.4.2 Agriculture
        • 3.5 Finland built on trust and labour market equality
        • 3.6 Fair, equal and inclusive Finland
          • 3.6.1 Restructuring of health and social services
          • 3.6.2 Reforming social security
        • 3.7 Finland that promotes competence, education, culture and innovation
          • 3.7.1 Youth, culture and sport
      • 4 Governance
        • 4.1 Management of the strategic Government Programme
        • 4.2 Parliamentary committees
        • 4.3 Strategic ministerial working groups
        • 4.4 Ownership policy
        • 4.5 Best public administration in the world
        • 4.6 Government’s communications strategy
      • Annexes and entries in meeting minutes
        • Annex 1. Summary of discretionary changes in permanent expenditure
        • Annex 2. One-off future-oriented investments
        • Annex 3. Spending limits rule
        • Annex 4. Work to combat the grey economy
        • Annex 5. Measures to combat international tax evasion and aggressive tax planning
        • Annex 6. Entries in meeting minutes
        • Annex 7. Memo of the working group on Europe regarding the key themes of Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union
        • Annex 8. Ideas of the working group on transport to develop land use, housing and transport
        • Annex 9. Fostering democracy
        • Annex 10. Impacts of benefit increases
        • Annex 11. Tables, Annex 1
        • Annex 12. One-off future-oriented investments, tables, Annex 2
      • Government Communications Strategy
        • Introduction
        • 1 Values in government communications
        • 2 Government’s core messages
        • 3 Cooperation in communications
        • 4 Measuring progress in achieving objectives
    • Division of responsibilities between ministers
    • Ministerial Committees
    • Ministerial working groups
    • Ministerial pay and allowances
    • Ministers and Parliament
  • About the Government
    • Appointment and organisation
    • How does the Government work?
      • Chancellor of Justice
      • Activities of the caretaker government
    • Role of the Prime Minister
    • Ministerial committees
    • Informal government meetings and ministerial working groups
    • EU affairs and the Finnish government
    • The Government and Parliament
    • Governments and Ministers since 1917
      • Ministers in Finland by gender
      • Governments' term in office
      • Prime Minister's age on the date of appointment
      • Finland's youngest and oldest ministers
    • History
      • Government Programmes since 1917
    • Premises
      • Government Palace
      • House of the Estates
      • Government Banquet Hall
      • Prime Minister's Official Residence
      • Königstedt Manor
      • Presidential portraits
  • Contact
    • Ministries
      • Safety information for visitors
    • Ministries Communication deparment contact
    • Feedback

Contact

Finnish Government
  • Front pageFront page
  • Current issues
  • Marin's Government
  • About the Government
  • Contact
  • en
  • About the Government
  • History
  • Governments and Ministers since 1917
  • Women as ministers in independent Finland
  • Laura Räty
« All female ministers
Cover photo of minister
Laura Räty was Minister of Social Affairs and Health in the Stubb Government. She has also served as Deputy Mayor of Helsinki.

Minister of Social Affairs and Health Laura Räty at the budget negotiations at the House of the Estates on 27 August 2014 with Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Lenita Toivakka. Laura Kotila/Prime Minister’s Office

Laura Räty

Laura Räty, who served as Deputy Mayor of Helsinki, was appointed Minister of Social Affairs and Health from outside Parliament.

Daughter of two doctors, Laura Räty graduated as a doctor herself. She also studied political sciences, but was attracted by medicine more. Having graduated with a Licentiate of Medicine degree in 2006, she began specialising in anaesthesiology and intensive care, but did not complete her specialisation studies before entering the world of politics. Räty’s career as an influencer began in the student body of her primary school and the Union of Upper Secondary School Students. She joined the National Coalition Party at the age of 15. As a student, she was the chair of the Helsinki district of her party’s youth organisation.

Räty was elected to the city council of Helsinki in 2005 and during the following term was chosen as the chair of her city council group (2009), appointed to the city executive and became the leader of the party council of the National Coalition Party (2010). In the parliamentary elections of 2011, Räty fell 27 votes short of a seat in Parliament, but was appointed Deputy Mayor of Helsinki with the responsibility for social services and healthcare soon after that. She also served as the chair of the Board of Directors of the Local Government Pensions Institution Keva from 2013 to 2014.

Alexander Stubb chose Räty as the Minister of Social Affairs and Health in his Government. During the Government term lasting less than a year, Räty’s most central task was to continue the preparations for the social welfare and healthcare reform. She has taken a stand on the inequality of the healthcare system and supported freedom of choice and competitive tendering in health services.

Räty did not get elected in the parliamentary election of 2015 after her term as a minister and returned to her post as a deputy mayor. Räty resigned from the post in spring 2016 and became a business director at Terveystalo.

In her free time, Räty is a keen runner of marathons.

340Days in office

Date and place of birth: 14.9.1977 Äänekoski

Political party: Kokoomus

Ministerial posts

  • 24.6.2014 - 29.5.2015
    Sosiaali- ja terveysministeri, Kokoomus
social policy health policy social policy health and social services reform mayors medical examinations

Photos

Photos
Laura Räty in 2014. Sami Perttilä, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health/Prime Minister’s Office

Texts by: Annika Puukka, Nevelyn Media Oy and Prime Minister’s Office

Finnish Government
Valtioneuvosto | Statsrådet

Snellmaninkatu 1 A, Helsinki PO Box 23

FI-00023 Government, Finland

Tel. +358 295 16001

About the site

Sitemap

Questions and feedback