Service description
The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) operates a pharmaceutical wholesaler that procures and distributes vaccines for the National Vaccination Programme. In addition, THL ensures the availability of vaccines, antibodies and testing materials required for the prevention of certain dangerous or rare infectious diseases. For the purposes of its pharmaceutical wholesale operations, THL holds a licence granted by the medicines authority.
Important information about the service
Vaccination providers order the vaccines they need from the hospital pharmacy or medicines centre in their area. The hospital pharmacy or medicines centre may supply vaccines from the National Vaccination Programme to a private service provider when it has been clearly established that the vaccination activities have been agreed with the wellbeing services county.
Vaccines procured for the National Vaccination Programme may be used only for vaccinating the target groups defined in the programme. Deviations from this are possible if the disease prevented by vaccination threatens to cause an infectious disease epidemic. In such cases, THL assesses the situation and issues instructions on vaccinations.
Monitoring of vaccine use
Medicines centres and hospital pharmacies are responsible for local guidance and supervision related to the distribution, transport, receipt, storage and disposal of vaccines. They must also monitor the consumption and wastage of vaccines included in the National Vaccination Programme. Costs related to vaccine distribution and to the supervisory obligations of hospital pharmacies and medicines centres must be agreed locally.
The above instructions must also be followed in cases concerning staff vaccinations pursuant to section 48 of the Communicable Diseases Act.
What are vaccinations outside the National Vaccination Programme?
If a vaccine is related to leisure travel, the person being vaccinated usually pays for the vaccine themselves.
There are situations in which a vaccination is considered part of good medical care for a patient’s illness. In such cases, the wellbeing services county usually provides the necessary vaccines to the patient.
Vaccines paid for by the wellbeing services county are ordered from a medicines centre, hospital pharmacy or pharmacy. These vaccines must not be mixed with vaccines procured for the National Vaccination Programme.
Employers are obliged to protect employees against vaccine-preventable diseases to which they are exposed due to their work tasks or work-related travel. Employers cover the costs of the required vaccinations for their employees. The vaccinations are administered through occupational health services.
The vaccines referred to above are procured by the hospital pharmacy or medicines centre in the same way as other medicinal products.
Who the Service is for
THL’s pharmaceutical wholesaler delivers vaccines for the National Vaccination Programme to the wellbeing services county’s medicines centre or hospital pharmacy. THL’s pharmaceutical wholesaler does not supply vaccines intended for use outside the National Vaccination Programme.
What you can expect from us
THL delivers vaccines procured for vaccinations under the National Vaccination Programme and ordered from THL’s vaccine dispatch unit to the wellbeing services county’s medicines centre or hospital pharmacy.
Instructions for ordering vaccines for the National Vaccination Programme
In addition, THL’s pharmaceutical wholesaler supplies products that are subject to special authorisation and exceptional authorisation.
Ordering products subject to special authorisation
Fees
The service is provided free of charge.
Contact us
Ordering vaccines for the National Vaccination Programme
Vaccine Dispatch Unit
Phone: +358 29 524 8333 (weekdays 9:00–12:00)
Email: rokote.lahettamo(at)thl.fi
Matters related to vaccine quality
Email: pharmaceutical.quality(at)thl.fi
Minna Manner-Lehtinen, Responsible Director, phone +358 29 524 8243 (24/7 on-call duty)
Toni Relander, Deputy Responsible Director, phone +358 29 524 7299
Contact details
Toni Relander
Director, Pharmaceutical Wholesaler
Phone: +358 29 524 7299
Email: firstname.lastname(at)thl.fi
Postal address
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
Pharmaceutical Wholesaler
P.O. Box 30
FI-00271 Helsinki
Finland
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