wellbeing services counties of finland wellbeing services counties of finland the wellbeing services counties (finnish: hyvinvointialue, swedish: välfärdsområde, northern sami: buresveadjinguovlu, inari sami: pyereestvaijeemkuávlu, skolt sami: pueʹrrvââjjamvuʹvdd) are public bodies separate from the municipalities of finland and the finnish government following the social reform instigated by the marin cabinet, each of which has self-government within its territory. on 23 june 2021, parliament approved bills on social and health care reform. according to the law on the implementation of the reform, the tasks and organizational responsibility of social and health care and rescue services will be transferred from the municipalities to the counties on 1 january 2023. the first elections to the councils were held in january 2022. in order to implement regional co-operation and an appropriate service structure, five co-operation areas will be formed from the counties, which correspond to the current special areas of responsibility of university hospitals. each county organizes the tasks prescribed for it by law, which at the beginning of the activity are the organization of social and health care and rescue services. a county may also perform functions in its territory that support its statutory functions, such as international activities and the protection of the mutual interests of the counties. it may engage in a low-risk business in its territory or in conjunction with another county that supports the performance of its statutory functions. under an agreement, the counties can carry out their tasks together. the forms of co-operation are a joint institution, a joint post, an agreement on the performance of official duties and a wellbeing consortium. the business of a consortium can only be the provision of support services. responsibility for organizing cannot be delegated to a consortium. administration of the wellbeing services counties the highest decision-making body in the wellbeing county is the county council, which is responsible for the operation, administration and finances of the welfare area. the delegates and deputy commissioners of the county council are elected in the county elections for a four-year term. the number of delegates is 59–89, depending on the population of the county. 59 councillors: central ostrobothnia, kainuu, east uusimaa, south karelia, south savo, kymenlaakso, north karelia, kanta-häme, ostrobothnia, lapland, south ostrobothnia 69 councillors: central uusimaa, päijät-häme, satakunta, north savo, central finland and vantaa-kerava. 79 councillors: north ostrobothnia, west uusimaa, southwest finland, pirkanmaa list of the wellbeing services counties map of the finnish wellbeing services counties there will be 21 wellbeing services counties in finland: lapland wellbeing services county north ostrobothnia wellbeing services county kainuu wellbeing services county central ostrobothnia wellbeing services county central finland wellbeing services county north savo wellbeing services county north karelia wellbeing services county south savo wellbeing services county south ostrobothnia wellbeing services county pirkanmaa wellbeing services county kanta-häme wellbeing services county ostrobothnia wellbeing services county satakunta wellbeing services county southwest finland wellbeing services county west uusimaa wellbeing services county central uusimaa wellbeing services county east uusimaa wellbeing services county päijät-häme wellbeing services county kymenlaakso wellbeing services county south karelia wellbeing services county vantaa-kerava wellbeing services county in addition, the city of helsinki (22.) and the autonomous region of åland (23.) will remain outside the wellbeing services counties, exercising similar competences by themselves.