The standing Social Affairs Committee on Thursday sent to Estonian parliament a bill of amendments to the Health Care Services Organization Act that will transpose into national legislation the EU directive on patients' rights in cross-border health care.
The aim of amending the law is to establish rules facilitating access to health care services in EU countries, advancing health cooperation among member states and protecting patients' rights, the parliamentary press service said
Committee chairman Margus Tsahkna said the Estonian health care system is efficient and prices of services are lower here than in Germany or Finland, for instance. «At the same time, when a European patient comes to Estonia the Estonian medical institution must charge the same price for surgery to a foreigner as to an Estonian patient. In view of this there could be much interest in Estonia,» he said.
«We also have to see to it that patients can choose between various providers of health care services within Estonia so as to get care sooner,» he added.
According to Social Affairs Minister Taavi Roivas it will be possible to restrict foreign patients' access to services if necessary. «For example, if there is great interest in some type of surgery on the part of foreigners the social affairs minister can limit the number of operations performed on foreigners by the Health Insurance Fund's partner,» he said at the committee meeting.
The CEO of the Health Insurance Fund, Tanel Ross, and manager of the North Estonian Medical Center (PERH) Tonis Allika earlier told BNS they do not expect EU patients to come flocking to Estonia after the rules governing the organization of health care services change at the end of October.
«We do not expect the implementation of the EU directive on patients' rights to result in significant changes, at least not initially, but we'll be monitoring and analyzing the situation constantly,» Ross said.
Allika said that the movement of patients could be influenced by the length of waiting periods for various services but that he does not believe large numbers of foreign patients will be coming to Estonia or Estonians going abroad.
«I personally do predict a certain increase in interest in patients coming to Estonia from Finland,» Allika told BNS. Finnish patients could opt for an Estonian hospital first and foremost to have a medical examination done sooner, as well as for some kinds of treatment, he said.