Fresh lake air ineffective against incapacity to work

Nils Niitra
, reporter
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Illustration: Pm

41 percent of working-age folks in Kasepää Commune, Jõgeva County living on work incapacity pension.

While inhabitants of Viimsi are fit as fiddles with mere three percent drawing incapacity pensions, inhabitants at Kasepää, Jõgeva are feeble indeed to say the least.

Here, old-age pensioners form a large share anyway; to these, add those incapable to work – close to 41 percent of working-age population. Only in Tartu County micro-commune Piirisaar, and Mikitamäe, Põlva County, more of such are to be found.

The main part of Kasepää Commune is a string of houses stretched out for 7 kilometres, along Lake Peipsi shore, with one end touching Mustvee. Along the same road, four villages are lined up, the borders passed so subtly that I would never venture to tell who lives where. Of all the cities of Estonia, the neighbouring Mustvee with its 37 percent is undeniably the leader in incapacity top list compiled by Postimees.

From most windows in Kasepää, a breathtaking view unfolds towards the lake. In yesterday’s sun, a sea eagle was having a time of his life, eating away at dead fish washed to the shore.  

Bad heart. Car wreck

Alas! Beauty of nature and fresh air aren’t enough. Driving into town, from Mustvee, the first family I met assured me that when it comes to heath, things are bad around here. Nikolai Tarassov, chopping wood in the yard, invited his good-Estonian-speaking wife Nadežda Aleksejeva over to explain why they’re invalids, both of them. «I’m on pension now, but before that, for 14 years I was on incapacity – the heart is bad. Before that, already, my back was done with, thrice I had surgery,» said Nadežda.

The lady used to work in a bread factory, in Russia. Here, in Estonia, she was manager for a kindergarten. «The heart started causing trouble even while I was on incapacity due to back. Well I did bury my first husband and that definitely had an effect. Nikolai is not on pension as yet; with him, a severe car accident happened in Russia, 14 years ago. He used to be a truck driving man, at a gold mine in Yakutia. Going downhill with his truck, and a tractor came upwards to meet him. The fuel carrier lost its brakes... For a month, he was unconscious, as some kind of a screw found its way into his head. So that’s how we are living our lives here, me and Nikolai, for 12 long years. Two invalids, that’s who we are.»

According to Nadežda, the commune does have young people, however, who could work but don’t want to. «They aren’t working, but they do get money somewhere,» said she. «Near Konsum [store], in Mustvee, there’s lots of young men that are invalids and drunks.»

A couple of kilometres down the road, Natalja Põdra was chopping wood – also having lost capacity to work, up to 80 percent. «I got a group [as related to being handicapped, in Soviet jargon – edit],» assured the lady. «Used to work as seamstress in the Marat factory, for quite a while; thereafter, I was a cowhand at a farm. In the final outcome, I had a stroke, then a row of health problems, and then also asthma.»

Only the next middle-aged man claimed not to be incapacity-pensioner. «Still got my hands and my feet,» chuckled the guy. «I guess those incapacity pensioners have fled this place long ago, just the [old-age] pensioners are left.»

Life is just hard

Ilja Annikov is the only really young man we spotted, here. Ilja was having fun, in the yard – shovelling snow he well knew would melt in no time. «Well you know people grow the vegetables here, in the gardens, and get some minimal extra by incapacity pension,» said he. As assured by Mr Annikov, some of these people could work as well.

A worker at local food-store, desiring anonymity, still thinks the people must be sick. «Way back when there used to be lots of farm work, and working hard with horse and spade, no wonder. Life is just hard and those 40 to 50 are having healthy trouble already.»

The Kasepää and Mustvee family doctor Ülle Lomp said she didn’t have nearly as many incapacity pensioners in her list as a neighbouring commune – the name of the family doctor of which Postimees will not reveal here. As hinted by Ms Lomp, in certain communes people get on incapacity pension more easily – even some inhabitants of Mustvee and Kasepää have managed to sneak into the neighbourhood commune list.

Wage no lure for locals

In Kasepää, for a long time people have been into the work consuming trade of raising vegetables – lots of manual labour. This, according to Ms Lomp, explains the large numbers of those turned invalids. On the other hand, the one-time major clothes factory Marat did its share causing health trouble.

«In countryside, and not only here, one problem surely is addiction-disorders,» added Ms Lomp. «The problem also being lack of working habit.»

Martin Tiik, CEO of Procom Investeeringud – the top employer at Kasepää Commune – is having trouble finding workers. «The state has spoiled the people,» said Mr Tiik. «Our net salary starts at €400 and, considering the region, I don’t think it’s too bad. The men prefer to draw social benefits and sit at home, instead of coming to work.»

In «downtown» Kasepää, just before we were off for Tartu, we met our last incapacity pensioner. «The lightning struck, in the greenhouse,» said Meelis Jõgi. «Then I was down on the ground, I was hospitalised, and I have no idea what they did there. Now, it’s 80 percent work incapacity. On the fifth, every month, they bring the pension [money].»

The 5th of every month is an important date for 100,000 inhabitants of Estonia.

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