Minister of Social Affairs and Health Kaisa Juuso (PS) arrived for the second day of the framework session in Helsinki on 16 April 2024. Juuso on Thursday told Helsingin Sanomat that she is surprised by the 100-million-euro cost savings target set for social care, a remark that has been met with dismay from opposition lawmakers. (Heikki Saukkomaa – Lehtikuva)
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MINISTER of Social Affairs and Health Kaisa Juuso (PS) expressing her surprise at the cost savings pursued in social care has been met with incredulity by opposition lawmakers in Finland.
“Let’s just say that also I was surprised by the 100-million-euro cuts [in social care]. But we’re naturally looking into it, given that it’s been decided, and will move forward,” Juuso stated to Helsingin Sanomat on Thursday.
She added that the cost savings in social care were devised by a “very small circle” of ruling-party lawmakers.
“Hardly any information trickled out,” said Juuso. “It’s been partly quite difficult to influence [the process]. Of course I got some information from the group about what’s being planned and sent feedback about it to the lawmakers.”
“I suppose I’m wondering about the same thing that everyone else is: what will be the service where we save 100 million euros.”
The Finnish government announced last week it has decided to limit the variety of public social care services in order to generate cost savings of 100 million euros. The savings are part of a fiscal adjustment package worth three billion euros put together to narrow the budget deficit avoid triggering the excessive budget procedure of the EU.
Tytti Tuppurainen, the chairperson of the Social Democratic Parliamentary Group, on Friday called Juuso’s ignorance about cost savings in the administrative sector she is in charge of as “peerless”.
“It’s tremendously worrying that one of the government’s key ministers seems to be a bystander as decisions are made in her administrative sector. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is the most important portfolio for ordinary people,” said Tuppurainen.
Also other opposition lawmakers voiced their dismay at the statements made by Juuso.
“If the responsible minister is completely in the dark and no one seems to know what’s been decided, it raises the question, is anyone at the helm at the moment,” argued Hilkka Kemppi (Centre).
Li Andersson, the chairperson of the Left Alliance, described Juuso’s interview as both incredulous and telling on X. It is irresponsible, she underscored, that the lawmakers involved in the negotiations are targeting such substantial cost savings at social care services with no assessments of their impacts.
“It’s equally irresponsible that the responsible minister is lamenting the situation and her exclusion instead of defending her own administrative sector,” she wrote on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
