Name: Nora Grotenfelt
Year of birth: 1977
Municipality: Helsinki
Town: Helsinki
Title: Chief Physician, Doctor of Medicine, Specialist in general medicine
Email: grotenfelt.nora@gmail.com

https://noragrotenfelt.fi

Member in:

Svenska Kvinnoförbundet

Nora
Grotenfelt

Helsinki

"More efficient primary healthcare services, better learning outcomes in schools, and more ambitious measures for the environment, entrepreneurship, and integration."

I was born and raised in Helsinki. My family consists of my husband and our three children, aged 14 to 17. I am a pesron who thrives on challenges and learning new things. My strongest personality traits include strong confidence and perseverance.

My medical education, professional experience, research career, and various positions of trust have trained me to make ethically sustainable, responsible, and evidence-based decisions. I am accustomed to listening carefully and communicating clearly, even in difficult situations.

My passion is jazz, especially jamming with others.

My Helsinki is beautiful, honest, knowledgeable, dynamic, and compassionate. It takes responsibility for all generations and invests in a rich cultural life.

Important political topics

Thriving citizens

I hold a Doctor of Medicine degree and am a specialist in general medicine. I have worked for many years as a health center physician and chief physician in primary healthcare in Helsinki.

I know what works and what does not in outpatient care. I want to advocate for well-functioning healthcare services, also in Swedish. Healthcare and social services should be easily accessible to everyone, regardless of their residential area. The focus should be on primary care and preventive measures against mental health issues, substance abuse, and social exclusion. The therapy guarantee for young people should be extended to 29 years of age. Digital healthcare services need improvement, and generative artificial intelligence should be utilized in primary care to increase efficiency and reduce workload. The conditions for continuity of care must be established through a family doctor or personal team system, supported by automation. Investments in healthcare personnel’s well-being, job satisfaction, and work conditions must be increased.

All elderly residents in Helsinki should have the right to a safe and dignified old age. They should be able to live at home as long as they wish and are capable, while also having good access to service housing and other support services. Support for informal caregivers must be reviewed, with increased compensation and more respite services.

I hope that Helsinki will initiate a pilot project for supervised drug injection rooms to reduce the spread of infections, overdoses, and drug-related problems.

Read more about our election platform ›

Children, Youth, and Families

As the Chair of the Board of Förbundet Hem och Skola, as the Chair of the Board and class parent at my children’s school for many years, as a member of the Education Committee in Helsinki and Chair of its Swedish section, as vice chairperson of the board of Prakticum Vocational School and through my experience as a science teacher at Arcada University of Applied Sciences, I have gained valuable insight into the situation of children, young people, and families, as well as the challenges in education.

Helsinki should be the most family-friendly city in the world. This means ensuring a smooth daily life for families with children, which requires accessible local services.

The foundation of our society’s prosperity and success is built in daycare centers and schools. To create a safe and inspiring learning environment, the wellbeing of children, students, and school staff is crucial.

All children and young people should have equal opportunities to succeed in school, regardless of their background. This requires qualified staff, more adults in schools, and active measures for inclusion, equality, and the prevention of bullying and exclusion. Children’s and young people’s mental health must be strengthened through preventive efforts and accessible support services. Mobile phone use should also be limited during breaks.

The well-being, resilience, and job satisfaction of school staff deserve special attention, as they are essential for the development and learning of children and young people.

Read more about our election platform ›

Forerunners in climate and the environment

All my life, I have spent my summers in the archipelago. I have witnessed the damage done to the environment.

Climate change and the loss of biodiversity are the greatest global challenges of our time. While these issues are global, much can be done at the local level. I want Helsinki to be a leader in environmental matters and a role model for other capital cities. Helsinki posesses a unique opportunity to drive progress through smart decisions in energy, procurement, land use, waste management, and transportation.

Carbon footprints and traffic emissions must be reduced through intelligent infrastructure solutions. The charging network for electric vehicles must be expanded. The financing of public transport infrastructure must be reviewed to ensure a high level of usage and affordable fares. The cycling network needs improvement, with a particular focus on areas with dangerous traffic conditions. Our green spaces must be preserved, and more trees need to be planted.

Read more about our election platform ›

Candidate's answers in election machine

1 / 11

Early childhood education should be free for everyone.

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Free access would significantly ease the daily lives of families with young children and serve as an incentive to attract families to Helsinki. It would also be a tool for promoting better integration and supporting women’s return to the labor market. Potentially, it could be an effective partial measure to increase birth rates.

2 / 11

Schools should prioritize traditional textbooks over digital learning materials.

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Traditional textbooks should be available to everyone who finds digital learning materials heavy or difficult to use. Paper and pen should be used more frequently to reduce students’ screen time.

3 / 11

One of the municipality’s most important tasks is to invest in sports facilities and opportunities for exercise and recreation.

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The city has a great responsibility to provide its residents with opportunities to lead a healthy life. Sports and recreational activities have significant health benefits and can help prevent increasing loneliness among both the elderly and young people. There should be diverse opportunities for people of all ages to stay active, such as playgrounds, skate parks, swimming halls, outdoor gyms, fitness stairs, winter swimming spots, and public saunas.

4 / 11

It is important to provide all residents with equal opportunities for cultural activities.

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Helsinki should preserve and strengthen its role as the country’s leading cultural city by ensuring a broad and diverse range of cultural services and events. Culture promotes participation, a sense of community, and trust—fundamental factors for a well-functioning society. Music institutes and art schools create meeting places where residents can develop, learn new things, and engage in creative expression, enhancing both social cohesion and well-being in the city. Helsinki should provide equal opportunities for cultural and recreational activities for all, regardless of gender or age, and collaborate effectively with both the private and third sectors to ensure access to these services.

5 / 11

The municipality should introduce or improve opportunities for residents to influence how municipal funds are used through participatory budgeting.

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In today’s world, democracy needs new approaches as trust in authorities declines. Democracy is based on the principle that power belongs to the people, and participatory budgeting is an effective way to highlight the value of democracy. By giving residents greater direct influence over their local environment, participation, sense of responsibility, and trust in the city’s structures are strengthened.

6 / 11

The municipality should invest in public transportation.

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One of our biggest challenges in Helsinki is reducing carbon emissions and air pollution from traffic. Public transportation is a key part of the solution. The financing of investments in public transport infrastructure must be reviewed to ensure a user-friendly and comprehensive public transport system at an affordable price.

7 / 11

It should be possible to be a resident in more than one municipality, for example, through digital municipal citizenship.

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8 / 11

The municipality should better facilitate the expansion of renewable energy, such as solar and wind power.

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9 / 11

The municipality should mix more housing types in planning than is currently the case.

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A clear strategy in Helsinki is to mix different types of housing, primarily to prevent segregation. This important work must continue, as there are many signs that segregation is increasing in our society.

10 / 11

The municipality should introduce anonymous recruitment.

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One significant barrier to employment is discrimination in recruitment. The most common grounds for discrimination include health status, age (both young and old) as well as ethnic background and national origin. Reducing recruitment discrimination would support Helsinki’s strategic goals, such as increasing the employment rate, promoting equality and equity, and strengthening well-being and inclusion. Being excluded from the labor market causes human suffering and negatively impacts an individual’s quality of life. Moreover, keeping a portion of the population outside the workforce is unsustainable both for the functioning of society and for the national economy.

11 / 11

If you could give a superpower to your future political leader, what would it be?

The ability to instantly purify the environment and stop climate change.
Invisibility to reveal and combat corruption at all levels.
Time travel to correct historical mistakes and improve the future.
Infinite wisdom to make perfect decisions on all political matters.

The more wisdom and knowledge one has, the better one’s judgment becomes. In many of the decisions a elected representative makes on behalf of others, it is extremely important to try to anticipate all possible consequences. The only things that truly help in this process are experience and life wisdom.

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