The Porvoo health center has faced a major surge in phone traffic with 737 callback requests recorded at the Näsi health center by Friday morning. The Eastern Uusimaa Welfare Region has responded by intensifying efforts to manage the backlog and aim to return to normal callback and queue times within two weeks.
Published: 09/05/25 | 18:16
To tackle the situation staff are working overtime and handling callbacks on weekends. Other local health centers in the region have stepped in to assist and temporary workers are being hired to help reduce the queue.
According to the welfare region urgent cases continue to be addressed within the required timeframe. However, the volume of non-urgent calls awaiting response has grown significantly.
Carita Schröder, who is the Head of Health Services expressed regret over the delays and assured that efforts are being made to restore normal service levels within a fortnight.
At the start of the year the care guarantee legislation was revised. For individuals over 23 non-urgent primary care must now be provided within three months. Previously, the law required access within 14 days.
Young people under 23 are still entitled to receive care within two weeks if the matter involves treating an illness or injury.
The welfare region confirmed that patients are still receiving care within the legally required timeframes.
Residents are asked to limit themselves to a single call and wait for a return call rather than trying multiple times. Each call is handled individually and repeated calls further burden the system.
As an alternative, people are encouraged to use the digital health services Hyvä-digi and Omaolo. Through Hyvä-digi users can speak directly with healthcare or social service professionals about health and well-being. Omaolo offers self-assessment tools for symptoms and health issues.
Both platforms can be accessed via the Eastern Uusimaa Welfare Region’s website.
In the Hyvä-digi chat, users are asked to mention whether they’ve already requested a callback. If the issue is resolved through chat the callback request can be canceled helping to lighten the queue.
