Health promotion in Finland is integral to public health work,
and its importance is highlighted in legislation on
primary health care,
temperance work,
tobacco control and
alcohol. In addition, the promotion of the welfare
of the population and responsibility for it are stipulated in the
Social Welfare Act.
Primary health care act 66/1972
(Finlex)
- Temperance Work Act 828/1982
- Temperance Work Decree 233/1983
Act on Measures to Restrict Tobacco
Smoking 693/1976 (Finlex)
Alcohol Act 1143/1994 (Finlex)
Social Welfare Decree 607/1983
(Finlex)
Occupational Safety and Health Act
738/2002 ( Finlex)
Environmental health care
The aim of the environmental health care legislation and the supervision of its implementation is to maintain and promote the health of the population and to prevent, reduce and eliminate such factors that may involve health risks or damage health and the living environment.
Environmental health care safeguards the wellbeing of the population by developing environmental health actions in an ethically acceptable way. The supervision of compliance with legislation guarantees that the activities affecting the living environment are systematic and are undertaken safely.
Environmental health legislation is divided among different ministries, with the MSAH responsible for the E nvironmental Protection Act and the Act on Cooperation Areas for Environmental Health Care.
- Health Protection Act 763/1994
- Act on Cooperation Areas for Environmental Health Care 410/2009
Furthermore, the Ministry is responsible for
- the Tobacco Act
- the drafting of the Chemicals Act (together with the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Employment and the Economy)
- the Radiation Act (together with the Ministry of Employment and the Economy), and
- the Gene Technology Act (together with the Ministry of the Environment).
Chemicals
Act 744/1989 (Finlex)
Gene Technology Act 377/1995
(Finlex)
- Radiation Act 592/1991
The MSAH is responsible for organizing environmental health care. As regards the content of other acts related to environmental health care the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is responsible for the Food Act and the Veterinary Service Act and the Ministry of Employment and the Economy for the safety of consumer goods and consumer services.
- Veterinary Service Act 685/1990
- Act on the Safety of Consumer Goods and Consumer Services 75/2004
The Ministry of the Environment is responsible for the Environmental Protection Act and the Waste Act, which are closely linked with the environmental health care field.
Environmental Protection Act
86/2000 (Finlex)
Waste Act 1072/1993 (Finlex)
The municipal authorities are in charge of the enforcement of environmental health care legislation.
The aim is to coordinate the guidance carried out by the municipal supervisory authorities referred to in environmental health care legislation by national monitoring programmes.
- Government Decree on National Control Programmes for
Environmental Health Care (664/2006)
The local government control plans target the monitoring, promote systematic monitoring and quality, and coordinate the monitoring. There is a specific decree on the local government control plans.
- Government Decree on Local Government Control Plans for Environmental Health Care (665/2006)
The role of municipalities in welfare promotion
The Local Government Act lays down that municipalities have to promote the welfare of their inhabitants and sustainable development. The framework legislation on the reform of local government and services prescribes that new joint municipal boards must promote the recognition in their areas of health, functional capacity and social security.
- Act on Restructuring Local Government and Services 169/2007
International obligations
The promotion of health and wellbeing and environmental health care are affected by
- international treaties and
- EU legislation.
EUR-lex
