In the development of the Kanta Services, Kela, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM) each have their own responsibilities.
Many other actors are also involved in the development work. Collaboration takes place with wellbeing services counties, private service providers, pharmacies, system providers, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), and Valvira.
Kela
Kela is responsible for planning and executing implementation projects for the Kanta Services. Kela also manages communications and collaboration with clients and stakeholders.
Kela coordinates and supports social welfare and health care providers in the deployment of the Kanta Services. Kela also takes care of client collaboration and arranges events and training courses relating to service deployment.
Kela is responsible for the maintenance and technical development of the Kanta Services, the background support and support services related to information systems, the technical construction of the national code service, and the coordination of joint testing.
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)
The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare is responsible for the operational planning of the Kanta Services and it supports operational changes associated with the deployment of the services.
THL participates in deployment as an expert in social welfare and health care content and operating models. It supports and trains social welfare and health care professionals in how to record data their respective client and patient information systems, for example.
THL sets essential requirements for the Kanta systems and associated information systems. It is responsible for the concepts, data structures, and classifications associated with information systems.
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM)
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for the general strategic guidance and funding of the Kanta Services.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for determining and developing the objectives of social welfare and health care information management and the Kanta Services, and for monitoring the results. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health manages client and stakeholder cooperation at a strategic level and prepares legislation applicable to the Kanta Services.
Social welfare and health care
Wellbeing services counties and other public social and health care providers, private service providers, and pharmacies are responsible for ensuring that the information systems they use are compatible with the Kanta Services. Information systems must be implemented in accordance with the requirements set by THL.
Actors are also responsible for the deployment of the Kanta Services within their own organisation. Deployment is planned in collaboration with information system providers.
Social welfare and health care providers can participate in the development of the Kanta Services, for example, in development workshops, which are organised regularly.
System providers
There are several different patient and client information systems in use in Finland. System providers design their systems to be compatible with the Kanta Services. The objective is to make the features of the Kanta Services available to all systems at almost the same time.
Kela arranges collaborative meetings and support events to provide information and support for the Kanta Services and the development and specification of their functionalities.
The Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV)
The Digital and Population Data Services Agency is responsible for the identification and certificate services of the Kanta Services.
Persons using information systems, archive services, and electronic prescription systems must be reliably identified and verified. Documents and prescriptions, meanwhile, must be electronically signed. The identification of individuals and electronic signing is implemented through the management of DVV’s certificate services and units’ access rights.
National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health Valvira
Valvira maintains central registers for social welfare and health care professionals (the Terhikki and Suosikki registers) and certain code lists. Data from registers are required in national information systems for social welfare and health care.
NGOs
Representatives of NGOs can have a say in the development of the Kanta Services on the Kanta panel for organisations. The panel gathers together citizens’ perspectives.
The panel collects experiences and observations, and produces data to support the development of Kanta. The Kanta panel for organisations is a great opportunity to have a say in the development of the Kanta Services. The panel is also used to share the latest information about the development of the Kanta Services.
Several patient organisations, as well as organisations for families with children and for the elderly, are involved. The panel includes 25 organisations for the 2024-2025 term of office. The Kanta panel for organisations meets twice a year.
The term of office of the current Kanta panel for organisations will continue until the end of 2025. The call for participants for the next term of the Kanta panel for organisations will be announced on our website and social media channels.