Finnish decison-makers have referred to wellbeing services counties as ‘money pits’ and ‘expense items’ even before this, but they are now seemingly considered ‘problem areas,’ as Minister of Finance Riikka Purra said during the opening press conference for the government budget session on Tuesday.
Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah (CD) also recently criticised wellbeing services counties for excess spending and accused them of a ”lack of morals.”
– The situation is actually reversed; it is the political decision-makers who are the issue and lack morals. When the Minister of Finance's only tool is a hammer, all problems look like nails. In Riikka Purra’s world, what wellbeing services counties offer to society and residents holds no value, says Tehy President Millariikka Rytkönen.
At the same time, the government does not recognise its own contribution to the issues of the wellbeing services counties. The county executive of the wellbeing services county of North Ostrobothnia, Pohde, and the members of the county council said that they are perplexed by the public debate on failures and mounting costs. They point out that transferable costs and the funding were intended to correspond to each other in the wellbeing services county model, but the transferable costs exceed the funding provided.
The government’s talking points have garnered wide-spread criticism from other wellbeing services counties as well: According to the county chief executive for Kanta-Häme, the government do not understand what they are talking about, as the surplus estimates for wellbeing services counties do not reflect the counties’ actual profitability.
– I find it strange that the government has the gall to blame the wellbeing services counties for the lack of funding it has caused itself. It looks like the decision-makers are severely out of touch and the government is pushing on with cuts while ignoring the realities of the wellbeing services counties. The counties have worked hard amidst a dire staff and resource shortage for a long time, and they deserve to be allowed to work in peace, Rytkönen says.
During the government budget session press conference on Tuesday night, Minister of Finance Purra said that in the budget for 2025, wellbeing services counties will see a cut of some 290 million euros through changes to tasks and customer fees and taking measures such as extending maximum waiting times for access to care.
Further information: Tehy President Millariikka Rytkönen, requests for interview through Special Advisor Mila Huovinen, [email protected], tel. +358 400 540 005