Coronavirus STM’s Varhila responds to criticism of poor interest rate management: Board of Directors ‘did not respond’ to requests to transfer responsibility

Social and health Ministry (STM) has never wanted to take overall responsibility for tackling the coronavirus pandemic, says Chief of Staff Kirsi Varhila.

“We have actively wanted to transfer responsibility to other areas of government as well, but the government has not taken it on. An exception is the Ministry of the Interior. In the coronavirus crisis, very difficult and unpleasant decisions have had to be taken, for which other ministries and authorities could also have been responsible. ”

Director of the Health Safety Department of the Department of Health and Welfare Mika Salminen estimates on Saturday that the fight against the coronavirus pandemic should not have focused on the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

Read more: THL’s Mika Salminen criticizes treatment of the coronary crisis: Management should not have been centralized in STM and the goal of reducing the number of infections with vaccines was a mistake

Undersecretary According to Varhila, the government has appealed the Infectious Diseases Act to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health to combat the public health crisis.

According to the law, the general planning, control and supervision of the control of communicable diseases are the responsibility of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The law also stipulates that the ministry is responsible for preparing for and managing national health care disruptions or their threat.

Varhila cites an example where the ministry has been in a very awkward position: mandatory health check-ups for foreigners and the requirement for vaccination certificates.

“In the field of border security, the competence lies with the seven competent authorities, whose capacity for joint coordination has long been sought. This ultimately meant that the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health had to take responsibility without any real competence. ”

Varhilan In the opinion of Mika Salminen, Director of the Health Safety Department of the National Institute for Health and Welfare, there is an inconsistency.

According to Salminen, an error was made in November when updating the vaccination strategy.

“It was then suggested that vaccinations could completely prevent infections. Although the risk of infection was reduced quite significantly at the individual level, it was clear that this was not possible at the population level. We should not promise one that is not true, ”Salminen said.

Varhila emphasizes that in November, the delta transformation of the coronavirus was still a real problem.

“The vaccination interval was shortened and third doses were rushed to prevent deaths and safeguard the carrying capacity of social and health services. According to the Ministry and the Government, the prevention of every single death is also justified. ”

As one individual failure, Salminen highlights how young people have suffered from the restrictions caused by the pandemic. Chief of Staff Varhila believes that the view is justified and appropriate.

“We have always asked the Department of Health and Welfare for an opinion on all restrictions and measures with impact assessments. In these cases, the institution would have had the opportunity to raise legitimate concerns about different sections of the population. ”