Savings | Drastic cuts hit THL, the trustee was puzzled: “What will be investigated here in the future?”

health and the welfare state's (THL) change negotiations are hitting hard on Finnish research in genetics, or heredity science.

Deputy chief steward of THL, research professor Markus Perola tells HS that the plan is to make extensive cuts in, among other things, research on national diseases, which Perola calls “THL's crown jewel”.

“When this thing started, I thought and said out loud that people's diseases should not be touched, because THL and people's diseases go hand in hand. I was wrong,” says Perola, who has studied the genetics of national diseases.

According to Perola, several of the institution's functions, such as vaccination advice and infection monitoring, are planned to be transferred to welfare areas in practice. On the other hand, researching national diseases would be more heavily the responsibility of universities in the future.

THL is told that the need for adaptation is about 12 million euros, and the number of people will be reduced by a maximum of 200, or about 15 percent of its personnel.

In 2024, 78 million euros of THL's funding will come from the state. In addition, the institution receives external funding of 40 million euros, which consists of both state project funding and competitive research funding.

On Wednesday planned surgical sites were presented to the workers in detail for the first time.

According to Perola, THL's plan is to completely stop, for example, the biomarker laboratory and significantly reduce research into high cholesterol, diabetes and other national diseases and memory disorders. The activities of the biobank and the quality registers stipulated in the THL Act are also being clearly reduced.

“This is national, comprehensive information about how we are doing, and this is what it requires. We are told that these are not about to be stopped, but now the pillars are being removed,” says Perola.

The health safety department responsible for the prevention, control and monitoring of infection and environmental threats will be cut the most, says Perola. This is largely explained by the end of extra funding during the corona period.

Perola says that the change negotiations will especially affect the application of research results, which research on national diseases has long focused on. For example, THL has studied how information about Finns' genetic heritage can be used in health care in a preventive way.

For example, in research into the genetic heritage of Finns led by the University of Helsinki in the Finngen project it is THL that has found out how the obtained information can be applied, says Perola.

Perola estimates that there will be at least 150 redundancies in one way or another, of which 20–30 will be aimed at research into national diseases and genetics.

According to Perola, THL is now taking a new direction.

“Yes, the wonder here is what will be researched here in the future or whether anything will be researched,” says Perola.

THL's director general Mika Salminen says that while the change negotiations are underway, he cannot comment further on their outcome.

“It can be said that research on national diseases is by no means ending at THL,” says Salminen.

According to Salminen, no responsibilities per se are being transferred to the welfare areas, but THL expects them to take on a more independent role in the future.

“There are some activities where we have previously offered municipalities a little more help, because not all small municipalities have been able to implement them so well themselves. Now these responsibilities have been transferred to the welfare areas, so the guidance can be a little lighter,” says Salminen.

Salminen did not specify what these functions are.

Salminen according to 12 million, the need for adjustment is so great that structural changes are necessary, when the productivity program of the government program is also taken into account.

“Adaptation cannot be done with just a cheese grater,” says Salminen.

Project funding received from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health constitutes a significant part of THL's external funding, about a third. According to Salminen, this has also decreased during the current government term.

In addition, the formation of welfare areas also requires THL to direct its operations to new needs, says Salminen.

According to Salminen, the change negotiations will end in mid-May.