Tens of millions of euros in taxpayer money are wasted each year due to missed public healthcare appointments, according to information Yle obtained from Finland's wellbeing services counties.
Last year, there were over 630,000 un-cancelled appointments in all of Finland's welfare regions — and the true number could be even larger.
Many regions have incomplete tracking systems, and some rely only on billing data. Northern Ostrobothnia was unable to provide any figures at all, and other regions lacked data on missed appointments in social services.
In addition to being a massive cost, missed and un-cancelled appointments can contribute to congestion and long wait times in social and healthcare services.
Cost of missed appointments
Figures based on billing don’t reflect the full scale of the problem. Not everyone — for instance, those under 18 — receives the 56.70 euros no-show fee.
Estimating the total cost of un-cancelled appointments is difficult, as costs vary between welfare regions. Still, the minimum nationwide impact is believed to run into tens of millions of euros.
In Pirkanmaa, a general practitioner appointment in primary care costs 275 euros, while in Central Finland, it costs 245 euros. According to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), the average cost of a 20-minute doctor’s appointment in 2023 was 126 euros.
Taxpayer money isn’t lost solely on unused appointment slots — additional costs also stem from staff time spent rescheduling appointments and organising new procedures.
The Kymenlaakso welfare region recorded 21,000 missed appointments in 2023, resulting in costs of around two million euros.
According to Chief Medical Officer Tuula Rajaniemi from the Kymenlaakso welfare region, when patients fail to show up, doctors use the time to write reports or respond to patients’ phone inquiries.
"Still, it is important that we get patients to their appointments so that people receive care and we can meet the treatment guarantee," Rajaniemi said.
A missed appointment can delay care for other patients, but it can also affect the care of the patient who missed the appointment.
"If a patient’s treatment is ongoing, we have to reschedule their future appointments as well. What worries me most is that if the appointment had been cancelled, we could have called another patient to take that spot," Rajaniemi said.
An All Points North podcast episode examined whether Finland’s public healthcare system can meet the demands placed upon it. Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Tight spot
According to the welfare regions, most missed appointments are in substance abuse and mental health services, as well as dental care. The highest rate of no-shows is among those under 18.
For example, in Kymenlaakso alone, there were almost 4,000 dental treatment appointments last year where the customer did not attend.
"There is less appreciation for free services. Those under 18 generally receive all services free of charge," said Rajaniemi.
If missed appointments become a recurring issue, the welfare region may be required to file a child protection report.
The government's recent austerity measures have left social and healthcare budgets stretched thin, with plans to tighten spending even further.
It was earlier reported that at least half of the country's welfare regions do not believe they can reduce spending as much or as quickly as legally mandated.
The current government aims to save 100 million euros by restricting social care services. Additional cuts to specialist healthcare are projected at 10 million euros in 2026, 30 million euros in 2027, and 70 million euros in 2028.
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