Mikkeli attracts families with free births

South Savon The welfare area Eloisa attracts families with a discount campaign: Childbirth at the Mikkeli obstetric unit will be free for the first four days this year.

The welfare area pages advertise that all births will have access to the family room in « new and comfortable facilities in the middle of the city ». In addition, the maternity unit pages promise that Mikkeli listens to the wishes of the births.

The “offer” also includes a support person accommodation and a meal package. In a social media video, a fresh family is used for a serving trolley for sandwiches and sparkling wine.

Families have the opportunity to save even hundreds. A day at the hospital costs € 66. In most cases, childbirths spend 3-4 days in the hospital.

Birthers are also welcome to Mikkeli outside the well -being area.

Wellness Director of Health Services Kimmo Kuosmanen He says that free of charge is a reduction in childbirth in Mikkeli.

Approximately 600 to 700 babies are born in South Savo each year, most of them in the Mikkeli obstetric unit. However, it would be possible to increase the amount of childbirth in the unit by about 100-150 births, perhaps even more.

According to Kuosmanen, however, increasing childbirth does not require any more resources from the welfare area.

« We have to have a certain number of midwives and doctors in the hospital all the time, whether or not births. »

The South Savo Regional Council outlined free of charge in March, but in practice the births have been free since the beginning of this year. Now, those who are born to give birth will not be charged retroactively.

“However, the decision is so recent that it is early to assess whether free of charge has increased childbirth in Mikkeli,” says Kuosmanen.

Customer charges Removal causes loss of income to the welfare area. However, customers from elsewhere are believed to replace them.

Eloisa can charge for childbirth from the customer’s own well -being area. Customer fees are not charged to the birthplace from elsewhere.

In addition, the expectation is that the purchasing of services in the welfare area will decrease if the residents of the area give birth to their area in the hospital.

According to Kuosmanen, the Mikkeli maternity unit is not expected to have an audience rush from elsewhere in Finland, but rather the purpose of free of charge is to attract South Savo’s births to Mikkeli.

Now, about 20 % of them have selected a hospital in another welfare area.

« For example, at the borders of the well -being area, births may have gone to Kuopio or Jyväskylä instead of Mikkeli. »

In childbirth Adding is also one way to ensure that the maternity unit will remain in Mikkeli in the future, says Kuosmanen.

As the birth rate falls, several units of childbirth have been discontinued in Finland.

Childbirth is free in Mikkeli until the end of the year. If the results are good, free of charge can become permanent.

The aim is also to increase birth and the attractiveness of South Savo in the eyes of families with children.

« Free childbirth certainly does not attract anyone to start a family, but it is a small handshake from society to young families who may have money tight. »

Birth has also been free since the beginning of 2025 at Rovaniemi Hospital in the Lapland Welfare Area.