The Chancellor of Justice has called for a report on emergency service operations. The request for an inquiry was handed to the Interior Ministry as well as the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
Chancellor of Justice Jaakko Jonkka says reports on isolated lapses won't suffice, and has demanded a re-evaluation of the operations of the entire system.
"Information about recent events suggests that there may be larger structural or systemic problems," said the Chancellor of Justice.
The chancellor is concerned that the procedures used by emergency service providers may be too rigid. As an example, he said that the smell of alcohol on an unconscious person is insufficient reason not to take the individual away in an ambulance.
"This kind of inflexible, categorised evaluation is extremely dangerous," Jonkka stressed.
Jonkka questioned what procedures govern the provision of medical care by emergency service workers and how such work is controlled by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. He also speculated about whether their operations are supervised and how problems are handled.
The chancellor also expressed concern about the staffing levels and working conditions at emergency service centres. He pointed out that if there are problems in the system, it would be useless to blame individual employees for shortcomings.
"Of course it's also a question of employees' legal rights, so that we cannot just criticise isolated cases, but we should look at whether they resulted from issues such as a lack of resources," he explained.
The results of the probe are to be handed over to the Chancellor by year's end, along with recommendations for addressing any shortcomings highlighted.