Majority Finns see health services wane after Sote reform

Most of the people in Finland believe that the availability of health services in their home municipality deteriorated after social healthcare reform, according to a survey commissioned by the Foundation for Municipal Development (Kaks).

The social and healthcare reform or so called Sote reform took effect in 2023 through establishing 21 wellbeing counties across the country excepting the Helsinki city.

About 59 percent respondents said that healthcare services in their home municipalities deteriorated in the last two years while only three percent said that the services were improved, said the survey report published on Saturday.

About 22 percent people, however, believed that the availability and accessibility of services remained more or less unchanged.

Middle-aged people and the people close to retirement age are more likely than others to believe that access to health services has declined.

People in paid employment living in rural municipalities, and in Eastern and Northern Finland were particularly convinced of this.

Supporters of the ruling Perussuomalaiset (Finns Party) and opposition Vasemmistoliitto (Left Alliance) strongly criticised the deteriorating healthcare service while supporters of the ruling Kansallinen Kokoomus (National Coalition Party) and main opposition Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen Puolue (Social Democratic Party of Finland-SDP) were found more satisfied compared to others.

The survey was carried out by Verian through conducting interviews from November 30 to December 4, 2024 where1,078 people took part and the margin error is ± 3.0 percentage points.