Kela and Choosehealthcare.fi to exhibit at Matka Travel Fair (19 -22 January 2017)

Kela and the Contact Point for Cross-Border Healthcare will present the European Health Insurance Card and the Choosehealthcare.fi online service at the Matka Travel Fair, Stand 6p60.

Choosehealthcare.fi offers up-to-date information about how to access health services in Finland and abroad. It provides answers to questions about healthcare in cross-border situations, including what to do in the event of a sudden illness while abroad and the possibility of travelling to another country for treatment.

Issued by Kela, the European Health Insurance Card is useful when travelling in Europe. Visitors to the fair can order their personal card at stand 6p60. The card, which is available free of charge, is useful because a sudden illness or accident during foreign travel can otherwise be expensive. A total of 1.7 million Finns have already obtained their personal European Health Insurance Card.

Strong interest in issues concerning medical treatment abroad

According to Marika Lahtivirta, who is head of the Contact Point for Cross-Border Healthcare, the choosehealthcare.fi website is intended for travellers experiencing a sudden illness while abroad and for anyone who wishes to travel to another country to obtain medical services. Among other topics, the website includes information on health services in over 50 countries.

It is designed to be tablet and phone friendly. Along with Finnish, identical content is available in Swedish(www.vardenhetsval.fi), English (www.choosehealthcare.fi) and Northern Sami (saame.hoitopaikanvalinta.fi).

The Contact Point for Cross-Border Heatlhcare offers assistance in how to use health services abroad as well as provides guidance in healthcare-related matters to patients seeking treatment in Finland. Customers show interest in how to access medical care and how to get reimbursements for the cost of treatment obtained abroad, Marika Lahtivirta says.

Medical treatment abroad

Persons who are travelling in another EU or EEA country or in Switzerland and who have a European Health Insurance Card can get necessary medical care from the public healthcare system or from doctors and hospitals affiliated with the local health insurance institution. The card also provides access to treatment if a traveller needs immediate medical attention for a chronic condition or requires care because of pregnancy or childbirth.

Customers only pay the local user fee, and the actual costs are paid by the Finnish government. The European Health Insurance Card is available to persons whose medical care costs are covered by Finland. Traveller’s insurance provides supplemental coverage to the European Health Insurance Card.

Apply online for a European Health Insurance Card

Applications for the European Health Insurance Card can be made easily and conveniently online at Kela e-services or by calling 020 692 203 between 8 am and 6 pm, Monday to Friday. To log in to the online service, use your bank ID and password or a mobile certificate.

For media inquiries, contact:
Annamari Qvist, Communications Coordinator, Tel. 050 551 8498
Marika Lahtivirta, Head of the Contact Point for Cross-Border Healthcare, Tel. 040 354 7396 firstname.lastname(at)kela.fi