IN BRIEF: Jyväskylä introduces e-voucher for services

Jyväskylä has become the first city in Finland to introduce e-vouchers for purchasing services. The vouchers can be used by senior citizens or families with small children, for example, to pay for home care and home nursing. The internet-based e-vouchers replace the paper vouchers that have been in use in Jyväskylä since 2008.

Jyväskylä has worked with Smartum Oy to develop the service voucher system. Smartum is a Finnish company that has developed a range of targeted benefit payment means for companies and municipalities, and it handles the actual transfers of money. Private service providers receive payment from Smartum for the work they have done, and Smartum receives funds from the city to pay for the services.

"This solution streamlines payments and money transfers and improves the scope for monitoring the use of services," says Riitta Pylvänen, Project Manager of Jyväskylä Regional Development Company Jykes Ltd.

The city of Jyväskylä and Jykes have been developing the service vouchers for a number of years. The objective has been to increase customer choice in the purchase of social and health services. People living in Jyväskylä can use the service vouchers to purchase welfare services from private providers who meet the requirements set by the city.

Timo Sillanpää