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3.10.2024 | According to a working group appointed by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the sale of some over-the-counter medicines could be expanded outside pharmacies if the change is made in a controlled manner, ensuring medication safety. The change could improve the availability of over-the-counter medicines and reduce the costs of medicines for consumers and society.

1.12.2022 | The Government proposes that the generic substitution of biological medicines by pharmacies be made possible as from 2024. It also proposes that the reference price system could include reference price groups for both original biological medicines and biosimilars.

2.3.2023 | The amendment to the Medicines Act will make it possible for Finland to introduce the generic substitution of biological medicines by pharmacies in stages between 2024 and 2026. Changes will also be made to the reference price system, as a result of which the system can in future include reference price groups consisting of both biological medicines and biosimilars that are interchangeable with them.

25.4.2024 | Amendments have been made to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Decree on Vaccinations and to the Government Decree on Voluntary COVID-19 Vaccinations in order to allow dentists, senior pharmacists, pharmacists, practical nurses and biomedical laboratory scientists to administer vaccines in future. The aim of the amendments is to accelerate the administration of seasonal vaccines in particular and alleviate the shortage of healthcare personnel.

29.11.2023 | At the beginning of 2023, an amendment to the Decree on Prescribing Medicines entered into force whereby prescriptions for all biological medicines are valid for one year. People using biological medicines should check the validity of their prescriptions with their attending physician or the pharmacy.

1.3.2024 | The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare reported on 29 February that scabies cases have become increasingly common in Finland. On the same day, the Advisory Board on Communicable Diseases, which is appointed by the Government, also discussed at its meeting how to improve the diagnosis and treatment of scabies.

12.4.2022 | Finnish people see the situation in Ukraine as a significant security threat, but everyone has their own way of reacting to the crisis. Older people are more concerned about the situation than young people and young adults. Most people understand the importance of having a sufficient supply of foodstuffs at home, for example, but people living in sparsely populated areas have more empirical knowledge than city residents of other forms of preparedness.

22.6.2026 | The Digital Pharmacist project is piloting remote and in-person pharmacist appointments in the wellbeing services counties of Pirkanmaa and South Ostrobothnia. The goal is to strengthen clinical pharmacy competence in healthcare and social welfare services and to create operating models that counties across Finland can use.

14.10.2022 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has updated the decree on the user fees for the Kanta Services. The user fees are charged from enablers of healthcare services and pharmacies.

28.12.2023 | The aim is to accelerate and streamline the administration of vaccines and to alleviate the shortage of healthcare personnel. The amendments that are being circulated for comments would allow dentists, senior pharmacists, pharmacists, practical nurses and biomedical laboratory scientists to administer vaccines. The amendments would also make it easier to organise vaccination at pharmacies’ health service points.

22.8.2022 | A recent study by Helsinki Region Environmental Services HSY shows that many people still dispose of their medicines incorrectly. Particularly young people dispose of expired or unused medicines by simply binning them or flushing them down the drain. Older people, on the other hand, most often return such medicines to a pharmacy, which is the correct way. Expired and unused medicines should alw...

14.10.2021 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has confirmed the user fees related to electronic prescriptions and the Patient Data Repository for the years 2022 and 2023.

26.8.2021 | Finns have returned more unused medicines to pharmacies and collection points. Expired and unused medicines should be taken back to the pharmacy, as they burden the environment when flushed down the drain or thrown in trash or they may end up in the wrong hands. The two-week-long Lääkkeetön Itämeri campaign (drug-free Baltic Sea) starts today, on 26 August, when we celebrate the Baltic Sea Day.

16.4.2024 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government has agreed on the General Government Fiscal Plan for 2025–2028. The Government has made decisions that will improve the sustainability of public finances and create conditions for reversing the trend in indebtedness. The decisions aim to safeguard the key factors for future prosperity: employment, security, and knowledge and competence. Fairness has been one of the guiding principles of the decisions.

9.3.2023 | Finns are once again actively travelling abroad. Over the years, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has been reminding travellers of things to take into account when travelling abroad to make sure their trip runs as smoothly as possible.

9.7.2020 | Three acts, the Medicines Act, the Act on Obligatory Storing of Medicines and the Communicable Diseases Act, will be amended to ensure the availability and sufficiency of medicines in all situations. 

Statsrådets förordning om ändring av bilagan till statsrådets förordning om universitetsexamina och specialiseringsutbil I enlighet med statsrådets beslut ändras bilagan till statsrådets förordning om universitetsexamina och specialiseringsutbil (...

21.1.2021 | Finland holds the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2021. In connection with the Presidency, Finland launched a project at the start of the year entitled ‘World’s smoothest cross-border mobility and daily life through digitalisation'. Its aim is to improve the cross-border mobility and cross-border daily activities of people and businesses by promoting information exchange between public authorities in the Nordic countries.

Valtioneuvoston asetus yliopistojen tutkinnoista ja erikoistumiskoulutuk annetun valtioneuvoston asetuksen liitteen muuttamisesta Valtioneuvoston päätöksen mukaisesti muutetaan yliopistojen tutkinnoista ja erikoistumiskoulutuk annetun valtioneuvos...

16.4.2024 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government has agreed on the General Government Fiscal Plan for 2025–2028. The Government has made decisions that will improve the sustainability of public finances and create conditions for reversing the trend in indebtedness. The decisions aim to safeguard the key factors for future prosperity: employment, security, and knowledge and competence. Fairness has been one of the guiding principles of the decisions.