This is Mia
My home and heart is in Espoo. I am a mother of three and I have two terriers. My children and my dogs bring so much joy into my life. I have a doctor’s degree in medical science and more specifically, I have specialized in internal medicine. I began with politics when our family started to use public services our society provides on a regular basis as our children were growing up. I wanted to give my contribution and impact on the functionality of these services instead of just hoping for the best. The most important values to me are justice, respecting others and caring for one another.
I believe there are a lot of similarities between a good doctor and a good politician. You have to be able to make decisions and deal with complex information and communicate clearly and effectively. But above all, you have to care about the people you look after and work hard to earn their respect.
Political career
I am a Member of the Finnish Parliament, and the chairperson of county board of Länsi-Uusimaa region. I am a Member of the City Council in the city of Espoo. I stood as a National Coalition Party candidate in Espoo at the 2013 municipal election. I got re-elected in 2017 when I finished in fifth place with 2240 votes. On spring 2021 I got re-elected again with 3030 votes.
I started my parliamentary career in the beginning of March in 2018. I got re-elected in 2023 with 8042 votes. In 2019-2023 I was a vice chairperson of the Social affairs and health committee and a deputy member of Legal Affairs Committee, Education and Culture Committee and the Defense Committee.
Carreer before
As a doctor I have worked in primary health care as well as demanding specialized health care. I am well aware of the challenges in the public and the private sector. I have worked over ten years at emergency departments. Before I started as a Member of the Finnish Parliament, I was the head of Haartman and Malmi emergency departments and the Social and crisis emergency services in Helsinki. These are the biggest emergency departments in Finland.
Working at the emergency department taught me a lot about our society: what are the factors that drive families into crises, how the children and the youth are doing, how elderly care is working, how the loved ones of those who are in need of special care are coping and what kind of help they need and what kind of shortcomings our service system has.
I began with politics when our family started to use public services our society provides on a regular basis as our children were growing up. I wanted to give my contribution and impact on the functionality of these services instead of just hoping for the best. The most important values to me are justice, respecting others and caring for one another.
Don't hesitate to contact me if you want to talk about Espoo or other issues!
mia.laiho@parliament.fi
+358 50 433646