Finnish Rheumatism Association, Reumaliitto, offers information, support and activities for people living with rheumatic diseases.
Finnish Rheumatism Association is a patient organisation. At the end of 2023, it had 129 member organisations, whit a total of 29 525 individual members.
In Finland, public health services are divided into primary and specialised healthcare. Primary healthcare services are provided at health centres. Some rheumatic diseases, eg polymyalgia rheumatica, are routinely diagnosed in primary healthcare.
Most rheumatic diseases are diagnosed in rheumatology outpatient clinics, which are part of specialised healthcare. Specialised healthcare services are organised mainly in hospitals. Access usually requires a referral from a physician.
Rheumatology outpatient clinics are responsible for beginning medical treatment for most rheumatic diseases and treating the disease while in active stage. Once the disease activity decreases, the patient is referred to primary healthcare for treatment and follow-up.
In addition to public healthcare, there are some private health clinics with rheumatologists. Private health services are considerably more expensive for the client than public ones.
You can find basic information on Finnish Health care system on these official sites:
