Finnish court rules welfare area cost data must be public

The Administrative Court has ruled that cost data for Finnish welfare areas must be made public, rejecting attempts to classify such information as business secrets. The decision follows a challenge by Hali ry, an association representing social and healthcare companies, including the healthcare provider Mehiläinen.

Hali ry had requested specific cost-per-unit calculations for 24-hour residential services for the elderly within the Central Ostrobothnia welfare area for 2024. While the welfare area's legal counsel argued for confidentiality based on business secrets, the court ruled that the information must be disclosed to enable oversight of the use of public funds and public authority.

Janne-Olli Järvenpää, CEO of Mehiläinen, stated that the ruling establishes a precedent that unit costs and operational cost data for welfare areas are public documents and cannot be kept secret. He noted that transparency is a cornerstone of Finnish society and essential for companies to compete fairly for public service contracts.