järjestämislaista

Järjestämislaki, officially the Act on the Organization of Social and Health Services, is Finnish legislation that came into effect on January 1, 2023. Its primary purpose was to reform the social and health services and rescue services sector by transferring the responsibility for organizing these services from municipalities and joint municipal authorities to 21 new wellbeing services counties. These counties are responsible for providing all social and health services, as well as rescue services, to their residents.

The law aimed to ensure more equitable access to services across the country, improve their quality, and promote their efficiency. It established a new administrative and financial framework for the sector, with wellbeing services counties being funded by state grants and local taxes. The reform also involved the transfer of approximately 170,000 employees from municipal employers to the new counties.

Key aspects of the järjestämislaki include the establishment of the wellbeing services counties as independent public entities with their own elected councils and administrative bodies. These counties are tasked with planning, purchasing, and providing services to meet the needs of their populations. The law also outlines the responsibilities of the state in overseeing the counties and ensuring the effective functioning of the national service system. Further amendments and clarifications to the law have been made since its initial implementation.