Elderly and social insurance minister Anna Tenje (M) emphasises that municipalities have a statutory obligation to offer elderly care in Finnish when needed. According to the minister, the Health and Social Care Inspectorate (IVO) can impose fines for shortcomings.
Anna Tenje clarifies that Finnish-language elderly care is not a voluntary service but a clear legal requirement, especially within the Finnish administrative area. She points out that IVO can already impose fines under current legislation, although no municipality has been fined so far.
An SVT survey of 66 municipalities in the administrative area shows that 27 municipalities, just over 40 percent, offer Finnish-speaking departments, staff and activities. 32 municipalities state that they provide home care in Finnish.
Tenje wants to strengthen language skills through state support for education. She urges municipalities to recruit among Finnish-speaking childminders and teachers who wish to switch to care professions.
