Foreign Nurses in Finland are speaking out after being dismissed without fair process. A group of international healthcare workers has come forward with serious allegations against the North Savo wellbeing services county, claiming they were misled during recruitment and later subjected to discrimination and public defamation.
Twelve professionals, including ten nurses and two doctors, arrived in Finland last year through an official program aimed at solving healthcare staff shortages. But within months, all of them had their contracts terminated during the probation period.
According to the North Savo authority, the dismissals were due to issues with language proficiency and professional competence. But several nurses strongly disagree. Five of them spoke directly with Yle and described a very different version of events.
One nurse stated, “This was not about my skills. This was about something deeper. It felt like discrimination, but that is always harder to prove.”
The nurses say their experience in Finland quickly turned hostile. They described being isolated at work, given inconsistent instructions, and judged unfairly. Some reported it took a toll on their mental health. “We were never allowed to show what we could do,” said another.
Most of the nurses had recently graduated from a university in Poland. They joined the program through a joint recruitment effort between North Savo, the ELY Centre, and BBI Finland. While they were officially hired as nurses, their ability to work fully was restricted under Finnish law.
Current regulations require foreign healthcare workers to obtain certification from Valvira, which includes passing a national Finnish language exam. Without it, they are not legally allowed to distribute medicine or provide unsupervised care.
One nurse remembered asking if she could administer medication. “They said no. I asked first, but what if I hadn’t? I could have done something illegal without knowing.”
Some of them were allowed to perform higher-level tasks like inserting IV lines, but only under supervision. What made things worse, according to the nurses, was the lack of proper feedback. Some even received praise during probation, only to be dismissed without clear reason.
A nurse identified as Mary told Yle she had concerns about the program even before leaving for Finland. She had asked questions over email and was reassured that support and English-language mentoring would be provided. But when she arrived, everything changed.
Yle reviewed the emails she received. The messages promised ongoing mentoring and communication in English. In reality, mentors were told to speak only Finnish, and the program ended after one month.
Mary said she spent close to €20,000 on training, paperwork, and relocation. “My friends told me not to trust it, but I believed in the employer. I thought Finland would be different. I was wrong. It felt hostile from the beginning.”
She went on to say the situation felt less like a job opportunity and more like a trap. “We were brought here, restricted, and blamed for things outside our control.”
Some nurses also said their Finnish coworkers refused to engage with them. “We were excluded, ignored, and not given basic responsibilities,” one of them shared.
They also criticized how the media portrayed the case. According to them, the focus on Zimbabwean nurses erased the broader group and created a false narrative. “We were from many countries, but the media only mentioned one group.”
North Savo declined to answer further questions. A public spokesperson previously stated that the dismissals were done for patient safety, denying any discrimination.
Now, the healthcare workers are facing financial stress and damaged reputations. Many say they feel used and betrayed by a system that promised opportunity but delivered judgment and rejection.
