Brakes on Lapland health cuts a win for Arctic communities, says Sami Parliament
Lapland’s regional council decided on Monday to maintain several health services in Finland’s Far North, reversing proposals that had alarmed Sámi leaders in the region.
Services on the chopping block included those serving three places in Lapland: Muonio, Ivalo and Karesuvanto, all places Sami communities rely on for health care.
But on Feb. 23, the council ultimately decided to preserve the inpatient ward in Muonio, continue 24-hour emergency care in Ivalo and keep the Karesuvanto health centre open.
“We warmly thank the members of the regional council who decided to defend the Sámi homeland and the services intended for its inhabitants,” Tuomas Aslak Juuso, deputy chairman of the Sámi Parliament in Finland said in a statement.
“It’s important that the people of the Sámi homeland have confidence that they will be taken care of equally.”
The proposed changes were part of a broader restructuring across Finland, where the country’s health services counties are legally required to eliminate budget deficits by the end of 2026.
Several regions have warned they’d struggle to meet that deadline with Lapland’s authority saying it would struggle to balance its finances before 2030.
Lapha (the Lapland health, social and rescue services provider) said around 365 employees would be made redundant.
Last week, the Sámi Parliament in Finland issued an open letter to the Lapland wellbeing services county saying the proposed measures in the three villages would increase travel times, undermine patient safety and weaken access to services in Sámi languages.
The council then decided on Monday to preserve the inpatient ward in Muonio, continue 24-hour emergency care in Ivalo and keep the Karesuvanto health centre open.
Although Monday’s vote preserved key facilities, the wider savings programme will continue include reshaping services in some villages and ending certain emergency reception services outside office hours.
The Sami Parliament said it will continue to work to ensure those changes do not “lead to a deterioration in services in the villages of the Sámi homeland.”
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: Sámi Parliament warns Lapland service cuts would hit Sámi communities hard, Eye on the Arctic
United States: Senators, including Alaska’s, sound alarm on cuts impacting Indigenous health care agency, Eye on the Arctic
