A person can choose a health centre or a health clinic of a health centre responsible for the person’s primary health care from the municipality in Finland desired by him/her. The care responsibility will be transferred to the health centre/health clinic in the chosen municipality no later than three weeks from the receipt of the written notification.
The choice applies to the following services as a whole, in other words, a person cannot choose one service provided by one health centre and another service provided by some other one.
- Health counselling and health examinations (including inter alia family planning clinic)
- Screening (to comply with national screening programme)
- Maternity and child health clinic services (including inter alia monitoring of the oral health)
- Counselling services for the aged persons
- Medical certificates
- Medical prescription renewals
- Medical care (including inter alia tests, treatment, care equipment prescribed in treatment plans)
- Oral health care
- Mental health work/services (including inter alia psychosocial support in unforeseen crisis situations)
- Substance abuse work/services (including inter alia rehabilitation services)
- Medical rehabilitation (including inter alia guidance, assessment of rehabilitation, therapies, assistive device services, rehabilitation periods)
- Short-term inpatient care
- Freedom of choice does not apply to school-based care, student health care, home nursing, occupational health care or long-term inpatient care.
The Social Insurance Institution, KELA, will reimburse for travel expenses up to the costs and expenses which would arise from the travel to the nearest health centre providing the service in question.
In connection with the alteration of address, the health centre will not change automatically but requires a new notification. The client himself/herself is obliged to notify of the alteration of address information, because this information is not updated in the system of the health centre chosen when population update is being made.