Health care goodwill agreement gets 16 signatures

Photo: Peeter Langovits / Postimees

Sixteen organizations gave their signatures to a health care goodwill agreement in the White Hall of the Parliament. In all 22 organizations took part in working out the agreement.

The agreement was signed by the Estonian Medical Students Association, the Estonian Private Health Care Institutions Association, the Estonian E-Health Foundation, the Estonian Hospitals Association, the Estonian Dentists Association, the Union of Estonian Emergency Medical Services, the Estonian Patients Advocacy Association,  the Estonian Patients Advisory Council, the Estonian General Practitioners Association, the association of private providers of health care, the Social Affairs Ministry, the Tallinn Health Care College, the Tartu Health Care College, the Tartu University Medical Faculty and the Health Board, a press officer for the Social Affairs Ministry told BNS.

The health care goodwill agreement maps the key points of the Estonian medical system and the most important activities that health care would be sustainable. The agreement proceeds from the patients' expectations, needs and rights.  It is important for the parties to create in health care a good working environment by means of optimal work organization and purposeful professional development. Simultaneously, it is recommended to contract doubling, to strengthen cooperation between the parties and to use more opportunities offered by e-health. The parties to the agreement see prevention work and health promotion as important factors.

One of the biggest health organizations that refused signing of the agreement was the Estonian Medical Association  because in their opinion most of the proposals had been left out and a generally worded document was drawn up at the Social Affairs Ministry, which need not ensure involvement of partners and consideration of their opinion.