Kun sairastat

"Bed is medicine."
(Venetian saying)

If you have a municipality of residence (kotikunta) in Finland, you are entitled to use public health services.

When you fall ill, contact the appointments desk of your own area’s health centre (terveysasema). You will find contact information for the health centre on your locality’s website. Larger cities have a health centre in almost every district.

Health centres are usually open from Monday to Friday from 8 am to 4 pm. To make an appointment, it is a good idea to call the health centre in the morning as soon as it opens. The appointments clerk will tell you when you can see a doctor. If you have a Kela card (Kela-kortti), take it along when you go to see the doctor.

If you need the services of a specialist, book an appointment first with a general practitioner. The general practitioner will write you a referral for a specialist. Health centre services are relatively cheap for customers, because they are funded through tax revenue.

Health centres are closed in the evenings and weekends. Urgent cases of sickness and accidents are treated in the Emergency Duty (päivystys). Also see Emergencies.

A doctor’s referral is usually required if you are in need of tests or treatment in hospitals, except in cases of an emergency, when a referral is not necessary. Hospital patients must pay a share of the costs of the treatment.

If an illness or injury hinders the ability of a person to cope with work, studies or everyday life, taking part in Rehabilitation should be considered.

In case of a person becoming incapable of working and loses their income due to a medical condition, they can apply for a Sickness Allowance (sairauspäiväraha) from the Kela office.