A brief history of the Kanta Services

The basis of the Kanta Services was created through legislation in 2007. Deployment of the different functionalities began in stages in 2010.

2007

The Act on the Processing of Client Data in Healthcare and Social Welfare creates a framework for the establishment of the Kanta Services. The Act on Electronic Prescriptions is enacted.
The creation of the Kanta Services begins as a collaborative project between Kela, the Association of Finnish Municipalities, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, and Valvira.

2010

Electronic prescriptions are introduced. The first electronic prescription is issued in a live broadcast in Turku on 20 May 2010.
All pharmacies are able to receive electronic prescriptions.
Use of MyKanta begins. MyKanta allows users to view their own electronic prescriptions.

2013

In March, the number of electronic prescriptions issued in a single month exceeds one million for the first time.

2014

Health care patient data begins to be stored in the Kanta Services. The data appears in MyKanta.

2015

2016

Electronic prescriptions become mandatory, and paper prescriptions are only accepted in exceptional circumstances.
The Kelain service is deployed. It allows doctors and dentists who are not employed by or provide health care services to issue prescriptions.
Private health care begins to store patient data in the Kanta Services.
Prescription renewal requests can now be made through MyKanta.

2017

2018

The number of health care documents stored in the Patient Data Archive (now the Patient Data Repository) exceeds one billion in January.
Social welfare services begin to store client data in the Client Data Archive for Social Welfare Services (now the Client Data Repository for Social Welfare Services).
The Archive of Imaging Data (now the Imaging Data Repository) is deployed. At this stage, X-ray images are stored in the archive.
The query and forwarding service begins to provide information also outside of the health care sector. For example, medical certificates are sent electronically to Kela, and the answers to questions about driving health are sent directly to Traficom.
The archiving of old patient data begins.
The first version of the Kanta PHR is released. Information system providers can begin to develop software applications that use the Kanta PHR to enable clients to store their data and measurements in Kanta.

2019

A Finnish electronic prescription can be used to purchase medicine from foreign pharmacies as cross-border prescriptions are implemented.
The Act on the Secondary Use of Health and Social Data is approved.

2020

The COVID-19 pandemic begins and digital services become increasingly necessary. MyKanta plays an important role, for example, in communicating COVID-19 test results to citizens.
Guardians can act on behalf of their child in MyKanta from October. This feature is introduced in phases in health care.
Data from the Kanta Services can be forwarded to for secondary use, such as for research and to regulatory authorities. Data in Kanta can be utilised with Findata’s permission.

2021

The COVID-19 pandemic continues. During the pandemic, a total of 20 million COVID-19 certificates are downloaded and printed from MyKanta.
The number of MyKanta users reaches a record 3.8 million.
The Client Data Act and the Electronic Prescription Act are amended.

2022

The Archive of Imaging Data expands to include ECGs.
The first phase of the development of the Kanta medication list allows the implementation of structured dosages and changes to the Pharmaceutical Database in information systems.

2023

The wellbeing services counties start operations. The Kanta Services ensure that social welfare and health care data moves within wellbeing services counties and between different wellbeing services counties.
Social welfare services’ client data begins to become available in MyKanta.

2024