Finnish government resigns after healthcare reform fails

The government of Finland resigned on Friday, a month before parliamentary elections, citing a failure of the plan to reform the public healthcare system.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto accepted the resignation of the government led by centrist Prime Minister Juha Sipila, national broadcaster Yle reported.

"The social welfare and healthcare reform was one of our government's most important objectives," Sipila said at a press conference. "The snapshot of the situation that I got from the Parliament obliged me to examine if there was a possibility of continuing the reform process. There wasn't.

"My conclusion was that my government had to hand in our resignation," he said. "I take my responsibility."

The government's collapse came after Sipila failed to push through reforms that had been considered a crucial part of the country's three-party governing coalition plan to balance public finances, Efe news reported.

"Prime Minister Sipila requests to resign because the healthcare reform cannot be accomplished during this government term," tweeted Antti Kaikkonen, the Head of Sipila's Centre Party's parliamentary group.

"If anyone asks what political responsibility means, then I would say this is an example of that," he added.

A majority of politicians agreed that some sort of reform to the system was required but they spent the past decade debating how to make it happen, the report said.

The government's efforts were finally brought down by a parliamentary constitutional committee which contended that the proposed cuts did not respect equal rights among all Finns.

Sipila had previously said he would dissolve his centre-right coalition government if it failed to push through its health care, welfare and local government reforms.

President Sauli Niinisto has asked Sipila to remain in office as a caretaker Prime minister until an April 14 parliamentary election.

--IANS

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