The hospital’s psychiatric ward positions are planned to be cut at the end of the summer.
The long-standing shortage of psychiatric specialists is leading to a reduction in ward places in the Päijät-Häme welfare area.
It is proposed to the regional board to reduce the number of psychiatry ward places in the quarter starting from the beginning of August.
There would be less than 50 ward places left, i.e. four 12-bed wards, each of which would also function as an acute ward for urgent care.
The situation does not come as a surprise
All over Finland, there are a large number of psychiatric specialist positions unfilled, as more professionals are retiring than new ones are graduating.
For medical students, specializing in mental health problems is not among the most attractive options.
Filling psychiatrist positions as purchased services from private health companies is problematic.
The purchasing service doctor cannot work in a hospital department, because coercive measures according to the Mental Health Act have to be used there as well.
– Psychiatry is also a large on-call specialty. Our specialist doctors’ shifts are scheduled around the clock, also on public holidays.
– This is not the case in the private sector, there the doctor can more freely plan, for example, his vacation, says Peltola.
The regional government will discuss the proposal on May 28.
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