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Patient and visitors Treatment for foreigners

Treatment for Foreigners

All people who fall ill or are injured in Finland are entitled to emergency medical and dental care, irrespective of their home country. Each patient is treated until they can travel safely back to the home country that is primarily responsible for their medical care and costs incurred.

Fees charged for the treatment are specified according to the patient's home country. The arrangement of medical care services can be based on European Union legislation or other social security or medical care contract that is binding on Finland.

Main principles

  • In the case of emergency and non-emergency care, the citizens of EU Member States, EEA states and Switzerland and foreigners living in Finland will be charged the same fees as people residing permanently in Finland.
  • A social security agreement with Quebec, Canada, covers medical care for those residing temporarily in Finland due to employment or studies. The contract also covers their family members. Thus, fees are the same as for Finns.
  • An agreement signed with Australia covers emergency medical care for those residing temporarily in Finland, in which case they will be charged the same fees as Finns.
  • People from countries other than EU Member States or contract countries pay for the actual costs of the treatment, both for emergency and non-emergency care.
  • Patients from countries other than the EU Member States or contract countries seeking non-emergency medical care must enquire about the possibility of treatment and agree on the arrangements in advance. Treatment costs must be paid prior to being treated.

Citizens of EU Member States, EEA states and Switzerland receive treatment that is deemed medically necessary on the same grounds and for the same customer fees as Finns.  They may also use the non-emergency care services of Finnish public health care. In addition, they must be provided access to treatment in public health care under the same conditions as Finnish nationals. Treatment is provided according to Finnish legislation and treatment practices.

A patient can seek advance permission to be treated from their own country of residence already before treatment or pay for the costs of the non-emergency treatment themselves and apply for compensation afterwards. If the customer selects the specialised medical care treatment from another location or another EU country, EEA state or Switzerland, the maximum travel compensation is limited to the cost of travel that would be incurred from the trip to the nearest hospital providing specialised medical care.

Required documents

Patients must prove their identity with a travel document, such as a passport. People residing temporarily in Finland must hold one of the following documents:

  • A European Health Insurance Card with a country code
  • A certificate that temporarily replaces the European Health Insurance Card
  • A citizen of the Nordic countries or the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland can prove their right to treatment with a passport and proof of their domicile (address) in the home country.
  • More information about European Health Insurance Card

Citizens of Australia

According to the medical care contract between Finland and Australia, persons living permanently in Australia but residing temporarily in Finland who can prove they are entitled to the Australian health care system, will receive emergency medical care for the same customer fees as people residing permanently in Finland. The right to treatment is proven with a passport or identity card.

Canadian province of Quebec

Persons residing temporarily in Finland who are covered by the insurance of the Canadian province of Quebec will receive medical care services for the same customer fees as Finns by presenting a certificate issued by the Quebec health insurance institution.  This agreement does not apply to tourists.

Citizens of other nations and those who cannot present the required proof of their home country will be liable for their own treatment fees. Patients requiring emergency treatment will be treated until they are well enough to return safely to their home country. The actual costs of the treatment will be invoiced to the patient or his or her insurance company.

Specific insurance details are necessary to invoice the costs to the insurance company. In addition to recording the patient's personal details, address in the home country, address in and duration of stay in Finland, the hospital will take copies of the insurance documents and the patient's passport.

The treatment can be paid for in cash or against an invoice. Russian patients with a financial commitment from Satucon Oy form an exception. In such cases, the patients are not invoiced at the hospital. When the treatment ends, the patient receives a copy of the medical record.

Non-emergency treatment

In exceptional cases, Kuopio University Hospital can admit foreign patients who pay for their own treatment and require non-emergency medical care. Care for these patients may not in any way impede the treatment of the hospital district's own patients. These patients will always pay for the actual costs incurred from the treatment. The fee is charged in advance.

At times, Kuopio University Hospital admits women giving birth who meet the cost of the service themselves. Enquiries about the possibility of doing so should be addressed to the chief physician of the Maternity Clinic, who can be reached via the hospital telephone exchange. The cost of the birthing package is EUR 6,000 and must be paid in advance.

The package includes

  • a vaginal delivery with pain relief or a caesarean section
  • no more than four treatment days after the delivery (a separate treatment day fee will not be charged)
  • treatment of the newborn at the rooming-in ward
  • the following blood tests if they were not taken at the Maternity Clinic: P-CRP (4597) haemoglobin, hematocrit, total red cell count, total white cell count, platelets (2474), ALAT (1024), HBs-Ag 1608 (1605), HCV-Ab (3815), HIV-AgAb (4814), S-TRPA-Ab (4942), cervixin GC (1506) and chlamydia (4807), MRSA (4358) Diphtheria, blood group and blood group antibodies and blood tests required during delivery and the first days following delivery.
  • a visit to plan the delivery if there are no other visits to the Maternity Outpatient Clinic in the course of the pregnancy.

The package does not include

  • outpatient visits for screening
  • outpatient visits to the doctor in case of a risk pregnancy or emergency visits to the labour ward
  • outpatient clinic fees
  • prenatal care days
  • treatment days in hospital exceeding four days following delivery
  • the paediatrician's fee (examination of the newborn)
  • any other costs incurred from the intensive care of a newborn
  • interpretation services