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The National Public Health Institute of Finland (KTL, Finnish: Kansanterveyslaitos, Swedish: Folkhälsoinstitutet) was a research and expert institute under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health charged with the task of protecting and promoting health in Finland. KTL was founded in 1911;[1] the final form was established in 1982 in order to promote public health in Finland.[2]
The institution had a duty to promote health and prevent disease. KTL performed research in public health in broad sense, and monitored diseases. KTL also acquired and distributed the vaccines paid by the government.
KTL was merged on 1 January 2009 with STAKES, the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health, to form a new research and development institute, the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). The last Director General of KTL was Pekka Puska, who was also appointed Director General of the THL.