Finland's main opposition parties on Friday filed an interpellation against PM Sanna Marin's (SDP) government over energy policy as well as elder care and health services.
The National Coalition Party (NCP) announced plans to submit the no-confidence motion in August, with the Finns Party and Christian Democrats now joining the interpellation.
The opposition parties argued that Finnish public healthcare is in crisis, citing overflowing emergency rooms, nursing shortages and funding issues related to newly formed wellbeing services counties.
They also claimed that Marin's government has not done enough to hire more nurses, despite a new law setting a minimum nursing quota for round-the-clock care at old-age institutions at seven caregivers per 10 residents.
"Staffing requirements without additional resources or more trained nurses is nothing more than theatre," said Finns Party parliamentary group chair Ville Tavio.
Finland's National Supervisory Authority for Health and Welfare (Valvira) this week said many nurses are leaving their jobs because of the possible consequences of the Patient Safety Act. Nearly 500 social and healthcare professionals so far this year have requested to have their licenses pulled from Valvira's register.
"Among those with health and social services degrees around a fifth—100,000 people—work in other sectors," said Christian Democratic MP and parliamentary group chair Päivi Räsänen.
The Finns Party is also filing an interpellation against the government over its energy policy. The opposition party argues that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is not the only factor contributing to rising energy prices, but suggests that the government's climate policy is exacerbating the current situation.
The motion of no confidence in the government over its handling of the energy crisis is the second interpellation to be filed so far this parliamentary term, which is barely one week old.