A physician at their desk in the Lighthouse Hospital, a part of Turku University Central Hospital, on 15 February 2024. YLE on Monday revealed that most Finnish well-being services counties have revised up their budget deficit projections for this year, to the total tune of almost 400 million euros. (Laura Ukkonen – Lehtikuva)
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THE MAJORITY of Finland’s well-being services counties have revised up their budget deficit projections for this year, reveal calculations presented to YLE by the Ministry of Finance.
The total budget deficit of the counties, which are responsible for organising regional social, health care and rescue services, is expected to come in at 1.25 billion euros in 2024, according to estimates submitted by the counties in May.
The deficit is nearly 400 million euros, or 50 per cent, larger than estimated in the general government fiscal plan published in late April.
The Well-being Services County of Southwest Finland (Varha), for example, is expected to show a budget deficit of 160 million euros, instead of the 80 million euros estimated in April, the public broadcasting company highlighted on Monday.
The deficit estimate has ballooned from 37 to 96 million euros in Southern Savonia, from 50 to 103 million euros in Central Finland, from 24 to 70 million euros in Pirkanmaa and from 39 to 70 million euros in Lapland. The only city to retain the responsibility for organising social, health care and regional services in the social and health care reform, Helsinki has revised up its deficit projection from 5 to 35 million euros.
The data presented to the public broadcasting company also reveal that only five counties have revised down their deficit projections: Kainuu, Kanta-Häme, North Ostrobothnia, South Ostrobothnia and Southern Savonia. The apparent financial improvements, though, are relatively marginal, the largest being the eight-million-euro adjustment made in Southern Savonia.
Kymenlaakso and Vantaa-Kerava were the only well-being services counties to reaffirm their earlier deficit projections, of 65 and 100 million euros, respectively.
In April, Central Ostrobothnia was the only county that was expected to show a budget surplus for the year, but the county has adjusted its projection from 2 million euros in the black to 18 million euros in the red.
All 21 well-being services counties have a statutory obligation to cover the deficits they accumulated in 2023 and 2024 by 2026.
Last year, the counties posted a combined operating loss of 1.3 billion euros. The general government fiscal plan states that all counties should stay within budget as soon as next year, partly due to a 1.5-billion-euro increase in state funding.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
