Finland's social security agency (Kela) is seeking solutions to the psychotherapy centre Vastaamo crisis, which remains unsolved. According to the company, the leak of confidential customer data on the internet continued last week.
According to a press release issued 29 January, Vastaamo has been placed in liquidation and strives to continue its operations as usual during the liquidation period.
Vastaamo has been at the center of a scandal since last fall due to a data breach and blackmail case that compromised its customer database. The personal data of thousands of clients, many of them coming from the Social Security (Kela) and the content of their therapies ended up published on the dark web Tor.
Kela is investigating the effects of this decision on its customers. According to the Social Security institution, the aim is "to ensure that the therapeutic relationships of Vastaamo’s clients could continue with the same therapist."
Vastaamo has also reported that its primary aim is to ensure the continuity of the therapies of its clients.
According to preliminary calculations, a possible termination of Vastaamo's operations would affect approximately 2,800 Kela customers.
Rehabilitation
Of these customers, about 180 are customers who receive intensive medical rehabilitation and about 2,600 are customers who receive rehabilitative psychotherapy.
"We strive with all means possible to ensure that the therapeutic relationship can continue with the current therapist. If this is not possible, we will assist in finding a new therapist," says Mikko Toivanen, Head of Kela’s Centre of Expertise.
Kela says it will inform its customers about the development of the Vastaamo case when more detailed information is available.
Vastaamo's management says it continues to collaborate with the authorities to try to identify the perpetrators of the blackmail so that they can be arrested "as soon as possible."
