Your local health station
If you need health services or medical treatment in Helsinki, look no further than your local health station. Each is well-enough equipped to deal with urgent cases and provide clients with the care they need.
The City of Helsinki automatically appoints a health station to registered residents, based on their home address. Clients are always free to request a different health station, if they wish.
If you develop an illness or condition that requires regular treatment, a team of professionals from your local health station will assist you.
See our section on Family Services for more information on what services are available to, for example, expectant parents and young children.
Callback system eliminates waits
To prevent clients waiting for long periods on hold, health stations in Helsinki have introduced a callback service. It makes a note of incoming numbers and returns calls later. Note that stations using the callback system will only call you back twice after your initial call. If they cannot reach you, it is your responsibility to contact the station again.
Wait times differ among Helsinki’s health stations. Even so, the majority of clients with an urgent issue are able to meet with a medical professional on the same day they call. You can improve your chances of getting an appointment if you call your health station immediately when it opens at 8.00.
If you cannot come to your appointment, be sure to cancel it at least 24 hours in advance. Otherwise, the city will charge you a non-attendance fee.
24/7 health care online
The City of Helsinki and the regional HUS hospital network use several e-services that can help you with social welfare and health care-related issues day and night. Most of the e-services require strong identification.
What is strong identification and how can I get it?
Strong identification is a secure way to verify your identity online. You can get strong identification in several ways, but most people in Finland use one of the two methods listed below:
- Online banking codes (also known as banking credentials) are available from banks operating in Finland. After opening an account with a Finnish bank, the bank will issue you a user ID, password and banking codes for your personal use. Do not share this information with others. You can then follow your bank’s instructions for confirming your strong identification credentials.
- Mobile ID is available from Finnish mobile phone operators, who will activate a mobile certificate on your mobile phone’s SIM card.
Maisa – your communication channel with Helsinki City's health and social services
Helsinki residents are encouraged to use Maisa as their primary means of communication with municipal health care providers.
Maisa is a digital communication channel used by the HUS regional hospital network and the City of Helsinki to provide round-the-clock service for health care, dental care, maternity and child health clinics and senior services. Maisa is available at www.maisa.fi(Link leads to external service) and as an app. To log into Maisa, you will need a form of strong identification.
Log into Maisa to
- see your health and social service information
- reschedule or cancel appointments
- see examination and laboratory results
- leave a message for a health care or social service professional
- request prescription renewals and/or
- authorise someone else to act on your behalf.
Log in to Maisa(Link leads to external service)
Omaolo – 24/7 online symptom assessment
With the 24/7 Omaolo e-service, you can do an online symptom assessment and receive immediate instructions for self-treatment. This service is available without strong identification.
If Omaolo’s symptom assessment determines that your symptoms need to be assessed by a health care professional, you can log in with strong identification and send your symptom assessment to your local health station. Your local health station will try and respond to urgent matters within two hours, or at the latest, during the opening hours of the following day. In some cases, the health care professional will be able to prescribe you medicine based on the symptom assessment alone, saving you a trip to the doctor.
Visit Omaolo(Link leads to external service)
My Kanta Pages – your online health records archive
The My Kanta service is a secure online repository of your health records, such as your treatment records, laboratory tests results, X-ray examinations, and electronic prescriptions. With your permission, all health and social service providers in Finland will have access to this data, making it easy to provide treatment across all service providers, in any part of the country.
Log in to MyKanta(Link leads to external service)
Eligibility and fees for health services in Helsinki
Helsinki health care services provide everyone with urgent medical care, even people who are visiting or living here temporarily. If you are not a registered resident, the city will invoice you for the services required at a later date. The state benefit agency Kela can answer any questions you may have about your eligibility for medical care in Finland.
Most public health care services in Helsinki are provided free of charge. Private health care is also subsidised by the state, so it does not become too expensive. Some of our social and health care services are, however, subject to a low fee. You can find our list of fees at hel.fi/health-and-social-services/fees.
Helsinki has set a maximum annual payment limit for standard public health and social services. If your costs exceed the ceiling, the city will then provide most further services at no cost. Naturally, the real costs incurred by medical care are much higher, but this is covered by tax revenue.
Pharmacies
Finnish law only permits certified pharmacies (apteekki) to sell pharmaceutical products. Strict Finnish customs regulations prohibit drug shipments from abroad. Finnish doctors also may not prescribe large quantities or dosages of medicine.
There are 50 or so pharmacies in Helsinki. Yliopiston Apteekki at street address Mannerheimintie 96 provides 24-hour service.
Nowadays, it is common for doctors, nurses and dentists to create an electronic prescription (resepti). Any pharmacy in the city can access the prescription, so you can use a pharmacy that is most convenient. Pharmacies use a queuing system for picking up prescriptions.
Don’t forget that your Kela card will give you a substantial state-sponsored discount on the cost of the medicine.
Dental care
The city runs a network of dozens of neighbourhood dental clinics. Due to high demand, clients may have to wait several weeks for routine dental check-ups or appointments with dental hygienists. In order to lighten this backload, municipal dental clinics may give you a service voucher to receive treatment at a private clinic.
Municipal dental care is not expensive. While private dental care is always pricier, it often has better availability.
Remember to state that you are a client of Helsinki’s public health care system when you book your appointment, and make sure to book an appointment while the service voucher is still valid.
To book a dental care appointment in the public system, call Helsinki’s centralised dental care booking service. Remember to cancel or reschedule if you cannot attend. You can do that via Maisa or by calling our client service line. If you do not cancel or reschedule at least 24 hours before your appointment you will receive a penalty fee.
The service line is open Mon–Thu 7.00–18.00 and Fri 7.00–15.00. We use a call-back system: if we are unable to respond immediately, we will call you back during service hours.
Book dental appointment at tel. +358 9 310 51400(Link starts a phone call)
Check, reschedule or cancel your booking via Maisa (Link leads to external service)
Emergency dental care
Emergency dental care is available at appointed dental clinics at Helsinki City in daytime. Additionally, on evenings, weekends and public holidays, emergency dental care is available at Meilahti Emergency Department.
Minors in need of emergency dental care can seek treatment from their local dental clinic during opening hours. If a need should arise after this, call the Medical Helpline at tel. 116 117.
Book an emergency dental care appointment
During office hours tel. +358 9 310 51400(Link starts a phone call)
On evenings, nights, and weekends tel. +358 116 117(Link starts a phone call)
See more at Emergency dental care
Mental health care
Helsinki has professional services available for anyone struggling with the challenges of daily life.
Your first step in getting help is to contact your local health station. If necessary, a medical professional will refer you to a psychiatric clinic or other mental health service. Note that you cannot use these specialist public services without an initial referral.
Using the city’s Therapy Navigator tool can help you speed up the initial assessment process and find the right treatment.
Doctors and psychologists cannot share information about you with other authorities or parties without your permission. If you or someone you love is hurting, please seek help.
Learn more about our mental health services
Mieppi walk-in service
Helsinki also offers a walk-in Mental Health Service Unit known as Mieppi that provides someone to talk to and support. Mieppi serves all residents of Helsinki over the age of 13 and its services are free of charge. There are several Mieppi service locations around the city. You can visit any unit, regardless of where you live.
Additional information
Specialised care for non-urgent health services always requires a referral from a general physician. If you want to see a specialist about a recurring health problem, you must first visit a doctor at your local health station, who will then make a referral.
Hospitals and networks of hospitals called hospital districts are responsible for providing specialist and emergency health services as well as treating rare and expensive illnesses. The Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS), which serves the capital area, operates around ten hospitals in Helsinki.
Visit HUS' website to learn more(Link leads to external service)
Health services in Helsinki are provided in both of Finland’s official languages, Finnish and Swedish. In addition, most medical professionals speak English well enough to provide care and guidance. However, by law, clients have the right to treatment that is explained in a satisfactory manner in their mother tongue, so clients can request an interpreter if they wish.
The City of Helsinki is responsible for arranging and financing these interpreter services. If you have a hearing or speech impairment and need, for example, a sign language interpreter, Kela provides the interpreting service for you. Consequently, if you wish to use the services of an interpreter, please request one when you call to book your appointment.
Learn more about your right to receive services in your own language
Health care services for students in Helsinki are primarily available from the school’s nurses. You can find the contact information for the school nurses through your educational institution.
In addition to the services provided by the nurses in educational institutions, the Centralised Unit of Student Health Care offers specialised services for sexual health matters, mental health support, and conducts conscription health examinations.
Residents with an irregular residential status receive urgent and medically necessary health services in Helsinki in the same way as registered residents. In addition, the Helsinki branch of Global Clinic provides medical assistance and advice to people without proper documentation at no cost. Furthermore, the clinic does not report its clients to the police or other authorities.
In contrast, medical care for asylum seekers who are waiting for an asylum decision is arranged by their respective reception centres.
Private health services complement municipal services, providing primary and specialised care for a fee. The state partly subsidises private health care, which keeps prices reasonable. However, as a rule, private health care services are more expensive than public services.
For example, many private health care providers have a direct reimbursement agreement with the state benefits agency Kela. Hence, reimbursements from the state are deducted directly from your bill, if you show your Kela card.