The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) published a new policy brief on the accessibility of healthcare services for migrants. Building on the results of a survey carried out in 2022 – 2023, the policy brief recommends that wellbeing services counties (regions responsible for organising healthcare in Finland) commit to promoting equality in their operations, through concrete actions. The brief contains guidelines for these counties to follow in order to better promote migrants access to healthcare.

According to the brief, migrants in Finland face the same challenges in accessing services as other groups. In addition, a lack of language fluency or experiences of discrimination can hinder access to services. The perceived need for GP services among immigrants is almost the same as in the general population, although it has increased among those coming from Southeast Asian countries. In addition, the brief notes that third-country nationals (TCNs) use GP appointment services significantly less often than the general population. They also reported having insufficient access to GP appointments more often than the general population, relative to their needs.

The brief suggests the following key actions to promote accessibility for migrants:

• Promote equality as part of the strategies of wellbeing services counties and organisations.
• Management teams commit to promoting equality in strategy and operations through statutory equality planning.
• Training is offered to staff on diversity and equality.
• Multilingualism and multichannel communication is taken into account in internal and external communications.

These recommendations are based on national legislation, effective methods identified in development work, and research findings from the “National Study on the Health, Wellbeing, and Services of Foreign-Born Individuals” (MoniSuomi) conducted by THL.