Health care for students

The Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS, or YTHS in Finnish) offers general health care, medical care and mental health care as well as dental and oral health care. The FSHS do not provide hospital care, maternity care, child or family care, or night and weekend services. Please note that postgraduate (doctoral level) students are not entitled to FSHS services.

To have access to FSHS services, bachelor's and master's degree students must pay the mandatory healthcare fee for students in higher education annually to Kela (the Social Insurance Institution of Finland). However, degree students who have social security coverage from another EU/EEA country, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom, do not have to pay the healthcare fee. They can use the FSHS services without paying the fee by sending Kela a copy of their valid European Health Insurance Card or other document proving their social security coverage. More information below and on Kela's website.

Otaniemi campus has its own FSHS health centre (street address Otakaari 12, Espoo). In Mikkeli, the FSHS health centre is located on Tark’ampujankuja 6 (Building F), Mikkeli. For more information on appointments, services, fees etc., please see the FSHS website.

Please note that the FSHS is not an insurance company nor does it provide insurance. However, depending on your personal insurance policy, you may be entitled for reimbursements of FSHS service fees.

In case of sudden illness requiring urgent treatment, you can turn to the health centre in your municipality or a private health clinic.

Payment of healthcare fee not required for students from EU/EEA countries, Switzerland or the United Kingdom

From the end of July 2022, students in higher education who have social security coverage in another EU/EEA country, in Switzerland or in the United Kingdom do not have to pay the student healthcare fee. These students are still entitled to use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service. More information on Kela's website.

If the student has already paid the healthcare fee, the student can ask Kela to pay it back.

Please note that Kela does not automatically receive information about existing social security coverage in another country. This means that a student who meets the above criteria and wants to avoid the payment or request a refund of payment must send Kela a copy of a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or equivalent document showing that they are covered under the social security system of the applicable country.

Send the required document to Kela via secure email by following these instructions. After you have established the secure connection as instructed, send the email to [email protected]. If you are requesting a refund, remember to include in the message the number of the bank account to which the refund is to be made.

For degree students, FSHS is always the primary source for health services. Public health care services are available to degree students who

• stay in Finland for over one year and who have a registered municipality of residence (after registering with the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, DVV)

OR

• have obtained a European Health Insurance Card from their home country. Please note that the EHIC card entitles you mainly to treatment that is medically necessary and cannot wait until you return to your home country. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to obtain private health insurance, as that enables you the option of using private clinics (see below).

In case of sudden illness requiring urgent treatment, contact the on-call health services in Espoo or Helsinki (depending on your residency). See the webpages for contact information during and outside office hours. A medical helpline – 116 117 – is available e.g. during weekends.

Emergency care is available also to non-residents, but the fees are significantly higher. A private health insurance policy may cover the emergency expenses in these cases.

If you need to use the regular services of municipal health care, you should go to your local health centre. Based on their home address, every resident in any city or municipality belongs to one of the service areas. See the webpage of the city of Helsinki or Espoo to find out your nearest health centre and hospital.

Several private clinics such as Mehiläinen, Terveystalo, Aava, and Pihlajalinna offer general health services. Private physicians charge approximately €100 per visit. In addition, you need to pay a fee for all examinations, such as laboratory tests or x-rays and administrative fees. 

Students who have private health insurance (which is required for non-EU/non-EEA citizens as a part of the residence permit process) may have their expenses covered by their insurance. Please check your insurance policy before visiting a private clinic.

In life-threatening situations, call 112. If you are hospitalised yourself, you can pay for the emergency room afterwards. For residents or students with a European Health Insurance Card, the fees are generally low. For others, a private health insurance policy may cover the expenses of emergency treatment.

Note that, when possible, you should seek treatment from the emergency hospital in your home municipality. However, all residents of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, or Kauniainen with an acute need for medical attention can also seek emergency care from any emergency hospital in the area.

See also the list on Where to find help for other urgent needs.

Exchange students from EU/EEA countries and Switzerland have the right to use the public healthcare services in their municipality when necessary. To be eligible for these services, you should bring your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from your home country when you come to Finland. The card must be valid for the whole duration of your stay in Finland.  

Please note that the EHIC card entitles you primarily to medically necessary treatment that cannot wait until you return to your home country. It is also good to note that getting a doctor’s appointment from municipal health care in non-emergency cases can take some time. Therefore, you are strongly recommended to obtain private health insurance which enables you to use private clinics (see below). 

If you need to use the regular municipal health care services, you should go to your local health care centre. All residents of a municipality or city belong to a service area, based on their home address. See the webpage of the city of Helsinki or Espoo to find your nearest health care centre and hospital.  

In case of sudden illness requiring urgent treatment, contact the on-call health services for Espoo or Helsinki (depending on your residency) or call the medical helpline 116 117.

Emergency care is also available without an EHIC card, but then the fees are significantly higher. A private health insurance policy may cover the emergency expenses in these cases. 

Several private clinics such as Mehiläinen, Terveystalo, Aava, and Pihlajalinna offer general health services. Private physicians charge approximately €100 per visit. In addition, you need to pay a fee for all examinations, such as laboratory tests or x-rays and administrative fees. 

Students who have private health insurance (required for non-EU/non-EEA citizens as a part of the residence permit process) may have the expenses covered by their insurance. Please check the recommended process with your insurance company before visiting a private clinic. 

In life-threatening situations, call 112. If you are hospitalised yourself, you can pay for the emergency room afterwards. For residents or students with a European Health Insurance Card, the fees are generally low. For others, a private health insurance policy may cover the expenses of emergency treatment.

Note that, when possible, you should seek treatment from the emergency hospital in your home municipality. However, all residents of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, or Kauniainen with an acute need for medical attention can also seek emergency care from any emergency hospital in the area.

See also the list on Where to find help for other urgent needs.

In general, your need for treatment must be assessed before you can book an appointment. The suggested way to get an assessment depends somewhat on the healthcare provider, but it is usually done by phone or online chat. Sometimes it is also possible to visit the service point in person. 

The idea is that by assessing your need for treatment, a nurse can directly guide you to the right person (a nurse or a doctor). In some cases, they will also book the appointment for you at the same time, but otherwise you can book the time yourself after the assessment. If you need to see a specialist, you generally have to talk to a nurse or a doctor first. After they have referred you to a specialist, you can book the appointment.

Some healthcare providers also offer online services. These are practical and usually fast if you need to renew an existing prescription, for example, or in a situation where an in-person appointment is not required.

Remember to take your proof of identity with you to the appointment. If you have a Kela card ('Kela-kortti' in Finnish) or a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), take it with you, as well. If you have private health insurance, bring a document proving this.

If you have to cancel or reschedule your appointment, remember to do that as soon as possible. Many healthcare providers still charge the fee if you fail to turn up for a scheduled appointment.

Home visits are rare in Finland. Some private healthcare providers might offer this service, but it is generally quite expensive.

For more information, you can check out InfoFinland's page on health services.

In Finland, you can get medicine only from pharmacies. This concerns both over-the-counter medicine (e.g. flu medications and mild painkillers) and prescription drugs (e.g. antibiotics). More information on pharmacies is on the Living in Finland page.

Pharmacy staff can point you to different options when you need to find a suitable medicine. For some medicines, you need to have a prescription. If you don't have one yet, you need to book an appointment to the health care services first. If you already have a prescription but need to renew it, this can usually be done via the health care provider's chat service. For more information, please see the 'Booking an appointment' section above.

Supermarkets and other stores aren't allowed to sell medicine. However, they can have a certain selection of vitamins and supplements. In addition, you can buy everyday products there, such as plasters (bandages), lotions, and hand sanitisers.