See a doctor anywhere in Finland: freedom of choice pilot not tied to municipality of residence

If you are 65 or older, you can see a private general practitioner (doctor in the private sector) at a lower price three times in the same calendar year if the doctor is participating in the freedom of choice pilot. The doctor you choose can be located outside your municipality of residence or your wellbeing services county. This means that you can see a doctor even if you travel elsewhere within Finland during the summer.

You only pay the local user fee charged by public healthcare providers for each of the three appointments you get per calendar year. If the doctor orders examinations or tests included in the pilot study, you will also get them at a lower price.

The freedom of choice pilot ends on 31 December 2027.

Where can I check which doctors are participating in the pilot?

At present, private general practitioner services included in the freedom of choice pilot are available in roughly one in three Finnish municipalities. Services are more widely available in large cities and in Southern Finland, but many smaller municipalities also have doctors who are participating in the pilot.

Information on all private medical clinics participating in the freedom of choice pilot is available on Kela’s website at www.kela.fi/freedom-of-choice-pilot. You can use the search tool to look up medical clinics by municipality or wellbeing services county. Use the links in the results to go to the clinic’s website to see which of the clinic’s general practitioners are participating in the freedom of choice pilot and if they have appointments available. If you call the clinic to book an appointment, remember to tell them that you want to book an appointment with a general practitioner who is participating in the freedom of choice pilot.

Doctors and medical clinics are free to choose if they want to participate in the freedom of choice pilot. Kela keeps a register of all participants, and more doctors and clinics may join the pilot before it ends.

More information about the pilot study on freedom of choice in healthcare

• Can you see a private general practitioner?
• How much do you have to pay for each appointment?
• Search for medical clinics and other service points
• Checklist for appointments with a private general practitioner