Health care for students

The services offered by the Finnish Student Health Services (FSHS, or YTHS in Finnish) include 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 duty services. Postgraduate (doctoral level) students are not entitled to FSHS services.

To have access to FSHS services, BSc and MSc 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 the 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, but depending on your personal insurance policy, you may be entitled for reimbursements of the FSHS service fees.

In case of sudden illness requiring urgent treatment, you can turn to municipal public health services or private health clinics.

Liability to pay the student healthcare fee 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 the United Kingdom do not have to pay the student healthcare fee. However, the student who meets the aforementioned criterion is still entitled to use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service. The official press release from July 27 on Kela's website.

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

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 the payment already paid must send Kela a copy of a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or equivalent document, showing that the person is covered under the social security system of some other country that applies the EU provisions.

Send the document to Kela via secure email by following these instructions. The correct recipient for the email after you have established secure connection is [email protected]. If you are requesting refund, remember to add the number of the bank account to which the refund is to be made in the message.

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 registration at 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 primarily to medically necessary treatment that cannot wait until you return to your home country. Therefore it is strongly recommended to obtain a private health insurance which enables you to use 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 fees are significantly higher. A private health insurance may cover the emergency expenses in these cases.

If you need to use the regular services of a municipal health care, you should go to your local health centre. All residents in any municipality or city belong to one of the service areas on the basis of their home address. See the webpage of the city of Helsinki or Espoo to find out your nearest health care 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 a private health insurance (requirement for non-EU/EEA citizens as a part of the residence permit process) may have the expenses covered by their insurance. Please check your insurance policy before visiting private clinics.

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

Note that you should mainly seek treatment from the emergency hospital in your home town, but all residents from the Helsinki/Espoo/Vantaa/Kauniainen area with 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 necessary municipal health care. To be eligible for these services, you should bring the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from your home country. 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, it is strongly recommended to obtain a private health insurance which enables you to use private clinics (see below). 

If you need to use the regular services of a municipal health care centre, you should go to your local health centre. All residents in any municipality or city belong to one of the service areas 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 in Espoo or Helsinki (depending on your residency) or call the medical helpline 116 117.

Emergency care is available also without the European Health Insurance Card, but fees are significantly higher. A private health insurance 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 a private health insurance (requirement for non-EU/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 private clinics. 

In life-threatening situations, call 112. If you are hospitalized yourself, access to an emergency room is paid afterwards. For students with the European Health Insurance Card, the fees are lower. For others a private health insurance may cover the expenses of emergency treatment. 

Note that you should mainly seek treatment from the emergency hospital in your city of residence, but all residents from the Helsinki/Espoo/Vantaa/Kauniainen area with 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 has to be assessed before you can book an appointment. The suggested ways for this depend a little on the healthcare provider, but this is usually done by phone or 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 e.g. renew an existing prescription, or in a situation in which an in-person appointment is not necessarily required.

Remember to take a proof of identity with you to the appointment. If you have a Kela card ('Kela-kortti' in Finnish) or an European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), take it with you, as well. If you have a 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, as many healthcare providers charge for appointments even if you don't turn up.

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 (e.g. flu medications and mild painkillers) and prescription drugs (e.g. antibiotics). More information on pharmacies on the living in Finland page.

The staff at pharmacies can point you to different options when you need to find a suitable medicine. For some of them you need 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 section on 'booking an appointment' 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, lotions, and hand sanitizers.