Sámi Parliament warns Lapland service cuts would hit Sámi communities hard
(Eilís Quinn/Eye on the Arctic)
The Sámi Parliament in Finland has issued an open letter to Lapland’s wellbeing services county, warning that budget-driven service cuts would affect the entire Arctic region but pose particular risks to Sámi-language services and access for Sámi communities.
“Lapland’s wellbeing services county will outline its financial adjustment measures at the regional council meeting on 23 February 2026,” the letter issued on Feb. 19 said.
“The Sámi Parliament has been deeply concerned about the impact of the proposed measures on the availability of services in the Sámi language and in the Sámi homeland area.”
The Sami Parliament’s intervention on Thursday comes as Finland’s health and social services in the countries counties mobilize to meet a legal requirement to eliminate deficits by the end of 2026.
Many regions say they will miss the deadline, and the body in Lapland has previously acknowledged it may not be able to balance its books until 2030, Yle News has reported.
In December, Lapha (the Lapland health, social and rescue services provider) said around 365 employees would be made redundant.
The Sámi Parliament highlighted plans to close the Muonio inpatient ward and end round-the-clock emergency care in Ivalo, a village in the heart of the Sámi homeland area, warning the moves would lengthen travel times, undermine patient safety and threaten access to Sámi-language services.
“Services must also be safeguarded in other villages within the Sámi homeland area, which are central to the preservation of Sámi languages and culture and whose vitality is supported by functioning services,” the letter said.
“The Sámi Parliament calls on the wellbeing services county’s decision-makers to ensure that services in these villages are planned based on residents’ needs and that the Sámi Parliament is included in cooperation, as required by law.”
Comments, tips or story ideas? Contact Eilís at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Pharmacists say they’re shouldering a growing share of the Yukon’s health care burden, CBC News
Finland: Nearly 700 health and social services jobs at risk in Lapland and South Karelia, Yle News
United States: Senators, including Alaska’s, sound alarm on cuts impacting Indigenous health care agency, Eye on the Arctic
