Urgent care and the Emergency Department

Here is what you should do 

1. If you suspect that your symptoms or injury are such that you need treatment within 1–3 days, call the Health and Social Services Centre in your locality. The Health and Social Services Centres are open on weekdays 8-16. In addition, many of these clinics accept urgent patients during the evenings and weekends. Please check the details of your locality on the service locations page.
2. If the Health and Social Services Centre in your area of residence is closed, call the Pirkanmaa Medical Helpline, tel. 116 117. The number is available 24 hours a day every day of the year.  
3. If a person’s life is in danger, call the emergency number 112. Life-threatening situations include serious accidents, cardiac arrest, severe chest pain, unconsciousness, not breathing, severe shortness of breath and convulsions.

Urgent care at Health and Social Services Centres 

Emergency Health and Social Services Centres treat symptoms and injuries that require treatment either immediately or within 1–3 days. You can get urgent care on weekdays from the Health and Social Services Centre in your area of residence, outside office hours, and on public holidays from a centralised emergency reception point. 

The symptoms to be treated at the Health and Social Services Centre may include, for instance, respiratory tract infections, back pain, sprains and pulled muscles, or a child’s ear infection.  

In the case of sudden serious illness or injuries, please contact the Pirkanmaa Medical Helpline by phone. 

• Telephone health service: 03 384 5000 
• Medical Helpline: 116 117 

Emergency Department

In the emergency department, we treat patients   

• whose examination or treatment cannot be safely postponed until the next working day, 
• whose delay in treatment may cause permanent damage to their health, or 
• whose lives are in danger.  

Emergency departments operating in hospitals are open 24 hours a day. We always treat patients in the order of the urgency of their illness. 

If you are thinking about going to the Emergency Department, call the Pirkanmaa Medical Helpline before leaving. A professional will assess your need for care and its urgency and guide you to the appropriate location for treatment. The Pirkanmaa Medical Helpline also provides care and operational instructions for your situation. If your situation does not require immediate treatment, we will guide you to contact the Health and Social Services Centre. 

• Medical Helpline: 116 117 

Children and young people

If you suspect that a child or young person needs urgent care, contact the Health and Social Services Centre primarily during its opening hours. If the Social and Health Care Centre is not open and the care of the child or teenager cannot wait, please contact the Pirkanmaa Medical Helpline. A professional will assess the child's or teenager's need for care as well as its urgency and direct them to the appropriate care location. 

Children and teens in need of treatment due to an illness are treated at the Children's Emergency Department at Tampere University Hospital (TAYS). Children and teens in need of treatment due to an accident are treated at TAYS Accident and Emergency Department (Acuta) in Tampere or TAYS Valkeakoski.  

• Paediatric Emergency Department, Tampere University Hospital (TAYS): 03 311 65713 
• Medical Helpline: 116 117 

Urgent dental care and Emergency Department

If you need urgent dental care on weekdays 8-15, contact the appointment service at the dental clinic of the locality where you live. 

On weekdays 15-21 and on weekends and holidays 8-21, you can get urgent dental care from the Dental Emergency Department. Call the Dental Emergency Department number: we will assess the urgency of your need for care on the phone. 

The Dental Emergency Department is located in Tampere and is linked with the TAYS Emergency Department (Acuta) at Ensitie 8. The Dental Emergency Department is located in Lobby C. It is not necessary to register with the Dental Emergency Department by using the registration machine. 

•  Dental Emergency Department: 03 384 5335