The Social Services and Healthcare division of the city of Helsinki has announced plans to outsource the recruitment of medical staff.
In a meeting on Tuesday, social services elected to issue a tender for recruitment services to cope with the growing demand for staff at health centres and hospitals in the city. The decision was approved by legislators the same day.
Helsingin Sanomat reports that while the exact sum allocated for recruitment services is not known, the proposal grants the director of the division authority to procure services that exceed a million euros if required.
The agreement with the chosen recruitment service will be valid for upto two years, with an option to extend the model for another two years.
Helsinki is facing an acute shortage of doctors and other medical staff, which is reflected in long waiting times even for patients who require urgent care.
While the city was witnessing a shortfall of physicians before the pandemic, since January, multiple health centres have reported that patients have had to wait for over forty days to see a doctor.
Tahira Sequeira
Helsinki Times
