Iltalehti describes the economic situation for the wellbeing services counties that provide Finland's public health and social services as "very dark".
All of the regional organisations are running a budget deficit this year and, according to the paper, the outlook is not much better for the next few years.
The Ministry of Finance has ordered that the welfare counties must cover their deficits by the end of 2026 or risk mergers with other regional organisations.
The schedule raises concerns in the welfare areas, which are state-funded and do not have the right to tax.
In order to cope with the large funding deficit, the regions now have to make major spending cuts. That includes reducing local services in several areas.
The paper reports that almost all of the nation's welfare counties are currently reviewing their operations, or are already planning reductions in services.
In particular, around-the-clock care for the elderly is being cut back, even though it is not meeting demand at current levels. The goal is for the elderly to manage longer at home, or in less service-intensive housing facilities.
Although many regions are increasing home-delivered services, remote services and community living that requires less staff, the need for round-the-clock care is not decreasing.
Even now, elderly people who are in increasingly poor health have to stay at home longer. Home care is also currently very under-resourced, but some welfare counties are looking for savings there as well, writes Iltalehti.
Border fence in Lapland
Helsingin Sanomat reports that Finland's Border Guard started work on the construction of a fence on the eastern border at Salla, in Finnish Lapland in August.
According to a Border Guard release, quoted by the paper, initial operations include felling trees in the area and the construction of concrete roadworks in wetlands.
Construction of fences along the border with Russia began at the Imatra border crossing last spring with a three-kilometre pilot fence.
In addition to fences at Salla and Imatra, there will be several dozen separate stretches of barriers constructed, totalling about 200 kilometres on the 1,300-kilometre eastern border. In practice, this is about 15 percent of the border between Finland and Russia.
The total price of the completed border fence is estimated at 380 million euros. It is scheduled for completion in 2026.
Haavisto tops poll
Rovaniemi-based daily Lapin Kansa carries the results of a poll by the Uutissuomalainen news group showing former foreign minister Pekka Haavisto (Green) to be the most popular candidate in the presidential election coming up in late January.
In a survey published Tuesday, 26 percent of respondents named Haavisto as their favourite. The second most popular candidate in the survey was former prime minister Alexander Stubb (NCP), who was the favourite of 18 percent of respondents. Third most popular was Mika Aaltola, an independent who is director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.
The head of the Bank of Finland, Olli Rehn (Cen) and the Speaker of Parliament, Jussi Halla-aho (Finns), each received nine percent support in the survey.
The poll, conducted by Tietoykkönen, interviewed 1,000 voters in late August and early September.
Scam warning
Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has issued a warning about scam calls in which the caller claims to be an NBI agent and tries to get hold of the victim's bank and payment card information, reports Iltalehti.
The fake caller's ID may start with the agency's 0295 number prefix. However, the NBI points out that police never ask for bank or payment card information.
Anyone who has been victimised, or is targeted, is advised to immediately report suspicious of fraud to their bank and to file a criminal report with police.
No doubt it's autumn
In the sunniest areas of southern and central Finland, temperatures reached 20–22 degrees Celsius, and slightly higher in southeastern and eastern Finland on Tuesday.
However, Ilta-Sanomat reports that those summer-like temperatures are coming to an end and heavy autumn rains are on the way.
By Thursday, the temperature will be around 15 degrees in the south, 10–14 degrees in the central parts of the country, and only 5-10 degrees in the north.
Between Wednesday evening and Thursday afternoon the southern and eastern parts of the country may see 30–50 millimetres rain in some places.
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