The integrity of any health care system depends largely on public trust. Patients must believe that the doctors treating them are not only professionally competent but also ethically sound and trustworthy. Yet recent revelations from an international investigative project have exposed a troubling loophole in Finnish medical regulation – one that has allowed violent criminals, sexual offenders, and doctors banned across Europe to retain their licenses and continue practicing medicine in Finland.

An investigation by Yle, in partnership with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), the UK’s The Times, and Norway’s VG, found that more than 20 doctors who have been banned, sanctioned, or convicted abroad continue to hold valid medical licenses in Finland. The findings raise serious concerns about patient safety, regulatory oversight, and the adequacy of Finnish law in preventing dangerous practitioners from relocating and resuming their careers.

The issue stems from a narrow clause in Finnish legislation: a doctor may only lose their license if a crime they committed was carried out “in connection with the practice of their profession” and within Finland. As a result, even the most serious offenses – including sexual crimes, child abuse, violent assault, and attempted murder – may not be considered grounds for discipline if committed abroad or outside the doctor’s duties.

This interpretation has had astonishing consequences. According to Yle, several........

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