Who is this guide for?
This guide is for you if you want to understand patient rights in Finland or are not sure where to contact when there is a problem with care, data, communication or service.
It is not a legal opinion and it does not assess care medically. It explains the official administrative routes available to patients.
Basic patient rights
According to STM, patients and social welfare clients have the right to appropriate and high-quality services. Matters concerning care, services and options must be explained openly and understandably.
Patients must be treated in a way that does not violate their human dignity, convictions or privacy. Patients also have the right to know how their information is used.
Appropriate treatment
The service must respect the patient's dignity, privacy and situation.
Information and participation
The patient must receive understandable information in order to take part in decisions about their matter.
Legal protection
If a problem arises, the patient can ask for advice, submit an objection or use the official complaint route.
Right to understandable information
You have the right to receive information about your care, service, options, fees and next steps in a way you can understand.
If you do not understand the instruction, ask for it again, in simpler language or in writing. You can also ask who is responsible for your matter and when you should contact the service again.
When an instruction is unclear
Step 1
Ask the professional to explain the matter again
This is the next point in the route.
Step 2
Ask for important instructions in writing
This is the next point in the route.
Step 3
Ask who is responsible for the next step
This is the next point in the route.
Step 4
Check entries in MyKanta if needed
Check your situation before the next action.
Step 5
Contact the unit if an instruction or entry seems incorrect
This is the next point in the route.
Right to an interpreter and accessible communication
If you cannot use the service without interpreting or accessible communication, tell the service as early as possible. Deaf and hard-of-hearing patients must have a practical possibility to understand essential information about their care and services.
Kela's interpreting service for persons with disabilities may be available if you have a decision for it and the situation is covered by the service. It is wise to agree early with the healthcare unit how communication will be arranged.
Tell the need early
Mention sign language interpreting, speech-to-text interpreting or another accessible communication method already when booking.
Confidentiality and personal data protection
Healthcare documents and the information they contain are confidential. Patients have the right to know how their information is used and where it has been processed.
MyKanta can help you check entries, prescriptions and some choices about data use. If the question concerns who made an entry or why information is shown in a certain way, start from the unit that treated you or Kanta guidance.
How to correct incorrect medical data
If information shown in MyKanta is incorrect or missing, contact the healthcare or social welfare unit you attended. Kanta shows data, but it usually cannot correct a treatment entry because the provider creates the entry.
Tell the unit which information is incorrect, when the contact happened and why the information should be corrected. Ask for a reply or next-step instruction in writing if the matter is important for later use.
Correction request to the right place
An incorrect entry is corrected by the organisation that made the entry.
Patient ombudsperson and where to get help
The patient ombudsperson advises patients about their rights and can help explain how to submit an objection or another official contact.
The patient ombudsperson does not make medical decisions, change patient data or prescribe treatment. Contact them if you do not know how to proceed with a problem or need help understanding your rights.
When to contact?
When you feel you were treated incorrectly, do not understand your rights or need help submitting an objection.
What they do not do
They are not a treating professional or a supervisory authority deciding the medical content of care.
Complaints and contacts with supervisory authorities
If you are dissatisfied with the service, care or treatment, you can usually first submit an objection to the unit or the person responsible for it. This gives the service a chance to review the matter and respond.
A complaint to a supervisory authority is an official administrative process. It is not a way to receive urgent care, a new diagnosis or personal medical advice. In the current system, supervision of health and social services is connected to the Finnish Supervisory Agency, Lupa- ja valvontavirasto (LVV). Older or transitional materials may still use the name Valvira.
Administrative path when there is a problem
Step 1
Ask the unit that handled the matter first, if possible
This is the next point in the route.
Step 2
Ask for guidance or a reply in writing
This is the next point in the route.
Step 3
Contact the patient ombudsperson if you need advice about rights
This is the next point in the route.
Step 4
Submit an objection to the unit if the matter needs official handling
Check the details carefully before submitting.
Step 5
Consider a complaint to the supervisory authority if the objection is not enough or the matter belongs to supervision
This is the next point in the route.