Corona epidemic THL’s Salminen criticizes centralized crisis management for STM – This is how Prime Minister Marin responds to HS

Policy|Corona epidemic

Health and Director of the Health Security Department at the Department of Welfare (THL) Mika Salminen criticized HS in an interview on Saturday centralizing the management of the corona crisis for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM).

Chief of Staff of STM Kirsi Varhila, for her part, said To HS that at no point has the Ministry wanted to take overall responsibility for tackling the pandemic.

HS asked prime minister From Sanna Marini (sd) why the government did not manage the interest rate crisis more comprehensively and took better account of issues outside STM’s administration.

In his e-mail reply, Marin states that under current legislation, the overall planning, control and monitoring of the control of communicable diseases is the responsibility of STM.

“The ministry is also responsible for preparing for and managing nationwide health care disruptions or threats,” he writes.

“The government has sought to take into account the different dimensions and effects of the crisis in its actions. As the pandemic lasts, the resilience of the people and the nation as a whole has been put to the test. ”

HS also asked Marin what to learn from the treatment of the corona epidemic in the event of future crises.

“To prepare for future crises, we need to parliamentaryly develop a system of governance and legislation so that future governments have adequate tools for all kinds of crises,” Marin writes.

Salminen In his interview with HS, he considered it particularly problematic that the effects of the various measures on the treatment of non – coronary epidemics had been adequately assessed. As one individual failure, Salminen highlighted how young people have suffered from the restrictions caused by the pandemic.

STM’s Varhila, for his part, said his ministry wanted to actively transfer responsibilities to other branches of government, “but the government has not taken action.” As an exception, he mentioned the Interior Ministry.

“In the coronavirus crisis, very difficult and unpleasant decisions have had to be made, for which other ministries and authorities could also have taken responsibility,” Varhila said.