Language of treatment and interpretation in Finland
In the EU countries, health care services are provided in the country’s official language. In Finland, treatment is provided in either Finnish or Swedish. Make sure that you understand matters concerning your treatment.
Finnish and Swedish are the official languages in Finland and health care services are usually provided in these languages. However, health care professionals commonly speak also English.
In Enontekiö, Inari, Sodankylä and Utsjoki, public health care services are also provided in the Sami language.
Health care professionals must ensure that the patient understands the matters concerning their treatment
Health care professionals are obliged to inform the patient concerning their state of health, the significance of the treatment, the different treatment options and other factors related to the treatment. If the patient and the treatment personnel do not have a common language, interpretation will be arranged.
If the treatment personnel sees interpretation as necessary in the process of providing treatment to the patient, the interpretation costs will not be charged from the patient. Translation costs fall under the patient’s responsibility.