On 1 November 2023, FSHS service units in eight towns will be relocated. Services in these towns are provided by FSFS partners. The services concerned have been put out to tender and, as a result, will be offered at a new partner unit in the same town.
The FSHS expanded its service network in 2021 to cover students at universities of applied sciences, doubling the number of clients. Since 2021 the FSHS has been monitoring the functionality of its service network and client numbers. Service unit changes have already been implemented this year, with five units being relocated. It’s now time to review the remaining partner services, and the decisions will seek to ensure that student healthcare costs are managed as effectively as possible.
When making its decisions, the FSHS will ensure that the distance between the university and the service unit does not exceed the maximum distance and travel time set by Kela. In Kotka, Varkaus, Kuusamo, Raahe and Ylivieska, general and mental health services will be relocating to a new partner unit in the same town, while in Mikkeli, Kokkola and Savonlinna, it will be oral health services.
The FSHS has a total of 44 service units nationwide, and about half of them are partner units. In many towns, there are separate service units for oral health and general and mental health. Only about 5 % of student healthcare services are provided by partners.