Wille Rydman has been appointed Finland’s new minister of social affairs and health, succeeding Kaisa Juuso, who stepped down last week citing exhaustion and announced she would take sick leave. The decision was confirmed by the Finns Party parliamentary group and executive board on Wednesday, with Helsingin Sanomat first reporting the appointment.
Finns Party leader and Finance Minister Riikka Purra described the selection as unanimous. Purra said she approached Rydman last Friday to assume the position, emphasizing the challenges of the role. “The portfolio is certainly one of the most demanding in this government,” she said, adding that it requires resilience under pressure and public scrutiny. “Wille Rydman has proven that he can handle difficult situations,” Purra said.
Rydman, 40, served as minister of economic affairs from 2023 to 2025 under Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. He returned to parliament in June 2025 as a backbencher after the portfolio was handed to another Finns Party minister under a planned rotation. Despite his previous government experience, Rydman has not focused on social or health policy during his parliamentary career and has not served on the parliamentary social affairs and health committee.
At the press conference announcing his appointment, Rydman highlighted his earlier work on the constitutional law committee during the Sipilä government, where he reviewed major healthcare reform bills from a constitutional perspective. “The social affairs and health portfolio is certainly one of the most difficult, but also one of the most important,” he said. Rydman also praised Juuso’s work on stabilizing service financing, calling it a “hard and necessary effort.”
The government is preparing further reductions in social and healthcare spending. Purra noted that several hundred million euros in previously agreed savings are still pending, including over €200 million in social welfare adjustments. Rydman affirmed that agreed cuts would proceed while he reviews the measures to ensure final decisions are made before the government’s April spending framework session. He emphasized the need to balance current service provision with sustainable long-term financing. “We must ensure services for people today in a way that allows financing them for future generations,” he said.
The appointment has drawn criticism from opposition parties. Green Party leader Sofia Virta urged Rydman to halt preparations for additional cuts, describing the social and health portfolio as “one of the heaviest in government.” She criticized Rydman’s political record as harsh and unequal and called for a cross-party effort to reform Finland’s social and healthcare systems. Left Alliance MP Veronika Honkasalo also questioned his suitability, noting Rydman’s limited experience in social and health matters.
Rydman joined the Finns Party at the start of 2023 after leaving the National Coalition Party, and his appointment marks a new chapter in the party’s influence over Finland’s social and healthcare policy.
