The head of Kela, Finland's social insurance agency, returned to his post on Monday, following an extended sick leave.
Towards the end of last year, Kela announced that the agency's director general, Lasse Lehtonen, would be on sick leave for the remainder of the year. However, he remained off-the-job for months due to serious health issues.
Last December, Lehtonen was hospitalised in Brussels after being escorted from an airport departure gate, following an acute illness. He had been in the Belgian capital for a work-related healthcare conference, while also being on sick leave.
In March, Lehtonen revealed to newspaper Maaseudun Tulevaisuus that he had suffered intracranial pressure that could have been fatal had it not been detected in time.
Following his appointment to the top job in the spring of 2025 on a monthly salary of around 20,000 euros, Lehtonen found himself at the centre of controversy over comments he made about the agency's remote working policies and its staff.
He had suggested in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat that it was a job seekers' market, and that Kela had "no particular need to retain its staff until the very last minute".
Lehtonen later issued an apology for the comment.
