Who is this guide for?
This guide is for you if you need help faster than an ordinary Health Centre appointment, or if you want to understand the difference between urgent care and an emergency situation.
It does not assess symptoms, diagnoses or treatment. It explains which official service to contact and what happens after contact.
Ordinary, urgent and emergency care
An ordinary healthcare matter is usually handled through the Health Centre or your region's digital service. An urgent matter may require quick assessment on the same day or urgent care. An emergency means that urgent authority assistance is needed at the scene.
Ordinary matter
Start from the Health Centre or your region's appointment guidance.
Urgent matter
Use regional urgent-care guidance or Medical Helpline 116117 before going to urgent care.
Emergency
Call 112 if urgent authority assistance is needed or you suspect that life, health, property or the environment is in danger.
When to contact Medical Helpline 116117
Medical Helpline 116117 is an advisory service organised by wellbeing services counties for acute health problems. Use it when the situation is urgent but you do not know whether you should go to urgent care.
At 116117, a healthcare professional assesses whether your situation requires a visit to urgent care or whether other instructions or services are enough. The service is available in Finland except Åland, and regional practices may differ.
When to call 112
Call 112 in an emergency. According to the Emergency Response Centre Agency, 112 is for situations where urgent authority assistance is needed at the scene or where life, health, property or the environment is suspected to be in danger.
- The ERC operator asks the necessary questions, assesses urgency and forwards the task, for example, to emergency medical services, police, rescue services or social services.
What should I prepare when contacting?
First say where you are and what has happened. Answer the questions from 116117 or the 112 operator as clearly as possible.
Basic contact order
Step 1
Choose the right service: Health Centre, 116117 or 112
Check your situation before the next action.
Step 2
Give your location, address or municipality as accurately as possible
This is the next point in the route.
Step 3
Briefly explain what happened and who needs help
Ask for help if you are unsure how to continue.
Step 4
Answer questions and stay connected until you are told you can end the contact
This is the next point in the route.
Step 5
Follow the instructions and later check further information in MyKanta if needed
Follow messages and reply to requests on time.
If you cannot speak, use only an officially supported text channel if it is suitable for your situation.
What happens after contact?
116117 may give advice, direct you to urgent care, tell you to wait for another service or instruct you to call 112 if the situation is an emergency.
When you contact 112, the Emergency Response Centre Agency assesses the situation and forwards the task to the necessary authority. The contact may lead to action by emergency medical services, police, rescue services or social services.
Assessment first
Both 116117 and 112 ask questions so that help can be directed correctly.
Next service
You may be directed to urgent care, another health service, home with instructions or authority assistance.
If you need a sign language interpreter
In less urgent healthcare matters, tell the service about your interpreting need as soon as you contact them. If you use Kela's interpreting service for persons with disabilities, book the interpreter as early as possible.
In an emergency, do not wait for an interpreter. According to the Emergency Response Centre Agency, people with impaired hearing or speech may send an emergency SMS to 112. Emergency SMS means SMS messages only; they cannot include images, videos, emojis or symbols. According to the official source, the 112 Suomi app can be used to make an emergency call and share location information.