The Finnish Student Health Service
The Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) provides healthcare for you while you study at Tampere University. FSHS services are available for students who are studying for a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree and have enrolled as present. The exchange students receive healthcare from public healthcare services. FSHS is a specialist in student health care: they offer you as a student of university general, mental and oral health services and support for well-being of study communities.
Worried about your health? Find information and self-care instructions in the student health resource pages here. Our health information site contains a variety of articles on matters related to student-age adults’ health, medical conditions, mental health and oral health.
TREY cooperates with the FSHS on a regular basis and has representatives in the Board of Directors and health working group of FSHS Tampere. You can always turn to the student union’s specialists in social welfare affairs if you have any questions or problems.
The FSHS Tampere units are:
- General and mental health services: FSHS Tampere / Tulli (Pakkahuoneenaukio 2, 33100 Tampere, entrance from Tullikatu, staircase A)
- Oral health services: FSHS Tampere / Hervanta (Korkeakoulunkatu 6, 33720 Tampere)
Making an appointment
You can make an appointment at FSHS online or by phone. Before you can make an appointment at FSHS, your need for treatment will be assessed either by a phone call or in the chat service in Self. When your need for treatment has been assessed, you can make an appointment either over the phone or in Self when you have received an appointment ticket.
You can cancel your appointment in the online service or by phone, but please do this early enough! FSHS charges a penalty fee for no-show.
The health care fee
Healthcare fee is paid to Kela once a semester. All degree students registered as present are obliged to pay the fee. The payment must be done independently by every student registered as present, because there is no invoicing on the fee.
The healthcare fee is paid in Kela e-service. Instructions on how to pay the fee are on Kela website. If you cannot use the e-service for instance because you do not have Finnish online banking credentials, you can pay the fee to Kela as a bank transfer.
If you do not pay the healthcare fee by the due date, Kela will send you a reminder. If the fee is paid after the due date, Kela will charge a fixed late-payment fee of EUR 5. If you do not pay the healthcare fee after having been reminded of it, Kela can withhold the fee and the late-payment fee from your study grant payments without consulting you. If the fee cannot be withheld from the study grant payments, the healthcare fee will be referred to the enforcement authority for collection.
Starting from year 2021 there are no subject to charge FSHS services. There is a fee for uncancelled, unused appointment.
More information about fees is available on Kela website.
More information about fees is also available on the FSHS website.
Health examination (HealthStart)
FSHS invites all first-year students to a health examination that consists of an electronic health survey and a personal health discussion when necessary. The health survey is sent to all first-year students by email, and it includes questions about general health and dental care as well as issues that affect those.
A FSHS employee will read your answers and send you a response with a personalised assessment of your health. If necessary, you will be requested to book an appointment at FSHS for a closer examination.
Answering the survey does not take much time, but it is very important. Please answer the survey without delay!
Self
Self is a FSHS online service that allows you to, for example, manage your appointments, use the chat service and fill patient history forms before your appointment. Instructions on how to use the Self service are here.
When FSHS is closed
Municipal health centres provide acute medical care when FSHS is closed. These services are subject to normal health centre fees. If you need acute medical care when the health centres are closed, contact TAYS First Aid Unit Acuta in Tampere (Ensitie 8, Tampere).
Health care of exchange students
The healthcare services for exchange students are provided either by the Wellbeing Services County of Pirkanmaa (Pirha) for citizens of the EU/EEA/EFTA, the UK, Quebec and Australia and by private clinics in Tampere for citizens of all other countries. All exchange students were encouraged to have a proper international health insurance already before arrival, as it protects you from unexpected, high medical costs in case you have a serious accident or sickness and gives you a fast access to a private doctor, if you need one.