Healthcare Services for Undocumented Immigrants are a Pull Factor for Harmful Immigration

The Finnish government's intentions to restrict healthcare services for people living in the country illegally have received harsh criticism. The issue is that the change proposed by the current government would effectively overturn a decision made during the last parliamentary term, which granted undocumented individuals the right to essential non-urgent healthcare services.

In a statement from the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS), which is responsible for providing specialized medical care in the region, it was suggested that "the underlying reasons for the proposed legislative amendment are more political than due to observed real problems." It was also stated that "tightening the regulations to approximately previous levels would thus likely increase the resources used for treating patients living illegally in the country."

The South Karelia social and health care district also opposed the legislative amendment, suggesting that "the benefits of the proposed legislation for the state budget and healthcare capacity would be marginal, but the risk of increased human suffering is significant." The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare claimed that "the proposed regulatory solution could lead to an increase in overall healthcare costs instead of achieving savings."

Helsinki Mayor Juhana Vartiainen (National Coalition Party) also commented on the issue, stating that "there is no reason to exclude part of the undocumented population from essential healthcare on the grounds that it would particularly burden the healthcare system." Therefore, the City of Helsinki does not support the legislative amendment.

In my view, each of these statements is foolish, as providing healthcare services to those living illegally in the country is part of the overall system that attracts social welfare-based economic migrants, which causes enormous costs and, on top of that, fosters a breeding ground for sexual and gang-related crime.

For this reason, healthcare services for people living illegally in the country are extremely detrimental to Finnish society and the safety of those legally residing here. Hence, the government's effort to further restrict healthcare for illegal residents is highly commendable, although it is too lenient and insufficient on its own.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Immigration issue
Mass immigration is the greatest concern for EU youth
The human rights of immigrant women are not important in Finland