Health in Tampere

This page contains information about health services in Tampere. Other important information on the subject can be found on the page Health.

If you fall ill, please call the Telephone Health Service. The nurse will give treatment instructions, assess what type of care you need and refer you to the correct place of treatment. He or she will also make an appointment with a doctor or nurse for you.

You can discuss questions related to health and your illness with the nurse. The nurse can give you general treatment instructions without a doctor's appointment. The nurse provides advice and guidance in urgent medical cases. If you so desire, you can obtain information about other social welfare and health services as well as their contact information.

Read more: Health Health services in Finland

Health centres

Health centres are responsible for the basic health care services provided to residents of Tampere throughout the city. Tampere has 11 city-owned health centres, but some of the doctor and nurse reception services are purchased from the private clinics.

Every Tampere resident is allocated to a health centre based on their home address. You can use the Find a health centre search facility to find your local health centre.

Private health services

If you want, you can also visit private medical clinics. You can visit a private medical clinic even if you are not entitled to municipal health care services. At private clinics, customers will have to cover all expenses.

During the day, patients in need of urgent care are primarily treated at the health centres in their respective areas. Health centres are open Mon-Thu 8 am-4 pm and Fri 8 am-3 pm. You can see a nurse at a health centre without an appointment. The nurse will assess the urgency of the required care and refer you to a doctor, if necessary.

In the evening and at weekends, health centres are closed and urgent illnesses and injuries are handled by the emergency clinic of First Aid Unit Acuta. Acuta treats Tampere residents who have suddenly fallen ill or been injured and require immediate care.

In an emergency, call the emergency number 112.

First Aid Unit Acuta
Tampere University Hospital
Ensitie 8
Tel. 116 117

Pregnancy and childbirth

In urgent problems and emergencies related to pregnancy, please contact the emergency services of your maternity hospital. Please call the on-call number before going to the hospital.

Tampere University Hospital
Obstetrics and gynaecology emergency services
Elämänaukio 2
33520 Tampere
On-call services tel. 03 3116 5942

Child health clinics handle the health care of children under school age. You can ask for advice and assistance in matters related to child rearing from the clinic nurse and doctor. The goal of the clinics is to promote a healthly life style in families, support parenthood and monitor the development of children. The services of the clinic are free of charge. The contact information can be found on the city’s website.

If a child falls suddenly ill, contact the the Telephone Health Service at 03 384 5000 (use the area code when calling from a mobile phone or outside the 03 network area). The Telephone Health Service is available every day between 7 am and 10 pm

School nurses take care of the health of school-age children. The school nurses conduct a health examination on comprehensive school pupils each year.

The Tampere City’s website includes brochures aimed at immigrants. The brochures provide a definition of preventive health care and describe the typical medical processes in maternity and paediatric health care centres and school and student health care services. The brochures also include brief information on vaccinations.

Read more: Children's health

More information about services related to the health of the elderly is available online. For example, you can borrow a variety of aids for your home from the aid equipment unit. Should your hearing or vision deteriorate, you can contact an ophthalmologist or a health centre doctor who will refer you to further tests, if necessary.

If you notice symptoms of memory problems in yourself or someone close to you, you can contact a nurse at an adult health clinic, for example, who can then perform a memory test.

Annual dental examinations are arranged for children who are 1, 2, 4 and 5 years of age. Information about dental care can also be obtained from child health clinics.

The dental care of school-age children is organised through the school.

Adults can make dental care appointments through the centralised appointment booking at 03 384 5300, Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm.

Read more Dental care

Emergency dental care services for those in urgent need

Please check the criteria for urgent dental first aid online. The emergency dental service is located at Acuta (TAYS).

Availability of the dental first aid:
- Mon-Fri 8 am–3 pm, telephone 03 384 5333 (Link starts a phone call)
- Mon-Fri 3 pm–9 pm, at weekends and on mid-week holidays 8 am–9 pm appointments are provided by the Telephone 03 384 533 (Link starts a phone call)5

Acutan hammaslääkäripäivystys
Ensitie 8
K-rakennus, sisäänkäynti samasta ovesta kuin Ensiapu Acutaan

If you need help with matters related to mental health, please contact your local health centre. The health centre doctors assess each customer's mental state and refer them to mental health services and, if necessary, to psychiatric care.

Children, young people and families with children

Psychologists, social workers as well as workers at youth psychiatry outpatient clinics and family counselling centres help families with children in matters related to mental health. The services are confidential and free of charge.

Nuorten mielenterveystalo is an online portal offering a wealth of information on young people’s mental health issues and self-care techniques.

Mental health services for immigrants

The psychiatry outpatient clinic organises treatment and treatment evaluation for adult immigrants who have recently moved to the country. The website of the City of Tampere features information about depression and post-traumatic stress in a variety of languages.

Acute Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic

If you or someone close to you is suffering from an urgent mental emergency, please call the on-call nurse of the Acute Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic. The clinic can be contacted by people in a crisis, their friends and family members, or professionals.

Acute psychiatric clinic
FinnMedi 3
Biokatu 10
33520 Tampere
Telephone 040 806 2606, on-call nurse
Telephone 03 5657 2910

Crisis Prevention Centre Osviitta

Crisis Prevention Centre Osviitta is an easily accessible place for seeking help: anyone who needs outside support or help with mental difficulties, relationship problems or other challenges in life can become a customer. You can visit Osviitta and talk about your issues one-to-one. You can come alone or with your partner or friend. Entire families can also visit the centre. You can make an advance appointment at 0400 734 793 or visit without an appointment.

Crisis Prevention Centre Osviitta
Sorinkatu 4 C, 2nd floor
33100 Tampere
Appointments 0400 734 793
Email osviitta(at)osviitta.fi

Helpful discussion by phone

If you would like to discuss your problems by telephone, you can call the national crisis helpline at 010 195 202 and talk about the things on your mind. The calls are confidential and you are not required to reveal your identity. The national crisis helpline is available Mon-Fri 9 am-7 am, on weekends and public holidays 3 pm-7 am.

Crisis helpline – discussion aid at tel. 09 2525 0116 | MIELI Mental Health Finland The Helpline maintained by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland provides an opportunity to get things off your mind by telephone. The numbers for the entire country is 0400 22 11 80. The on-call hours for the entire country are Sun-Thu 6 pm-1 am, Fri and Sat 6 pm-3 am. The service provided in Swedish is on call every night from 8 pm to 12 midnight.

Read more Mental health

Health centres can provide you with guidance on contraception and sexual matters. You can also make an appointment with a doctor if you require a prescription for contraception.

The family planning clinic is intended for women over 22 years of age residing in Tampere who are contemplating beginning contraception and need an intrauterine device or contraceptive implant fitted, or who require help with problems relating to contraception.

Tampere residents under 22 years of age can receive guidance regarding contraception and sexual matters at the youth clinic.

If you suspect that you have contracted a sexually transmitted disease, please seek help at the clinic for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. You must make an appointment in advance.

Read more Sexual health and contraception

Family planning clinic
Kanta-Sarvis
Hatanpäänkatu 3 J (3rd floor)
33900 Tampere
Appointments and advice, tel. 03 384 5392, Mon and Thu 1 pm-2:30 pm, Tue and Fri 8:30 am-10 am.

Youth clinic
Tipotie social services and health centre (4th floor)
Tipotie 4
33230 Tampere
Appointments and Nurse helpline, tel. 03 384 5394, Mon-Fri 8:30-11:00

Clinic for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases
Hatanpäänkatu 3 B (3rd floor)
33900 Tampere
Appointments and enquiries, tel. 03 384 5150 and 040 635 8953

The maternity clinic monitors the well-being of the mother, baby and entire family during pregnancy. Please contact the maternity and child health clinic in your area as soon as you find out about your pregnancy. The services of the maternity clinic are free of charge. The contact information for the clinics can be found on the city’s website.

In urgent problems and emergencies related to pregnancy, please contact the emergency services of your maternity hospital. Please call the on-call number before going to the hospital.

Tampere University Hospital
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Teiskontie 35
33520 Tampere
Obstetrics and gynaecology emergency services, tel. 03 3116 5942

Read more: Pregnancy and childbirth, When a child is born in Finland

The Tampere University Hospital (TAYS) serves as the maternity hospital in the Tampere region.

Tampere University Hospital
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Teiskontie 35
33520 Tampere
Obstetrics and gynaecology emergency services, tel. 03 3116 5942

Read more: Pregnancy and childbirth

You can buy medication at pharmacies. You can search for pharmacies located in Tampere online using the search engine on the website of the Association of Finnish Pharmacies.

Finland has implemented a new, electronic prescription. Instead of a printed prescription, the doctor will provide you with a patient instruction sheet. Please bring the patient instruction sheet and your Kela card with you when picking up medication at a pharmacy.

Read more: Medication

If you fall ill or get injured, you are entitled to be absent from work. If you are covered by Finnish national health insurance, you have the right to apply for sickness allowance from the Kela after the qualifying period for benefit.

Read more: Support during illness

If you are not satisfied with the care you received or the way you were treated, you must first discuss the matter with a nurse or doctor at your place of treatment. If the matter cannot be resolved or you want more information, contact the Patient Ombudsman. The Patient Ombudsman provides advice and guidance. The ombudsman cannot change treatment decisions that have already been made.

Patient Ombudsman
City of Tampere
Frenckellinaukio 2 B
PL 487
33101 Tampere
Tel. 050 527 2949

The City of Tampere organises various services, such as aid equipment, rehabilitation as well as housing and transport services, for disabled people. The Social Welfare Office for the Disabled takes care of the services required by the Disability Services Act and handles the granting of financial support to disabled people. The decisions pursuant to the Disability Services Act are made by a social worker.

Social Welfare Office for the Disabled
Kanta-Sarvis
Hatanpäänkatu 3 F (2nd floor)
PL 98
33101 Tampere
Tel. 040 159 8379

Read more: Disabled persons

Disabled children

The City of Tampere services for the disabled organise service guidance through which the right services can be identified for disabled persons and their families. Please contact the Social Welfare Office for the Disabled.

In some day-care centres, there are groups for children who require special support in terms of the development of their language skills or social and emotional life.

A variety of support types and teaching arrangements are available in basic education, which can be used to assist pupils at school.

Read more: Disabled child