Estonian govt to cover hospital bill of citizen taken ill in Turkey

Photo: Erakogu

The Estonian government on Thursday decided to allocate 48,593 euros to cover the extraordinary hospital bill of an Estonian who was taken ill in Turkey and the Social Ministry is also in negotiations with the Vaatsa rural municipality for partial compensation of medical costs.

The government decided that the Social Ministry has to draw up an amendment to the 2015 state budget law to pay back the 48,593 euros allocated from the reserve. The government also asked the Ministry of Finance to analyze the practice of solving such incidents and, if necessary, to improve regulations for solving similar cases in the future.

At the end of April an Estonian contracted a serious disease while traveling in Turkey, due to which he spent a month in the hospital. Soon after he received the hospital bill which was around 160,000 euros. As a result of negotiations the Turkish hospital reduced the bill to 59,593 euros, of which 11,000 euros was paid by the insurance. The remaining sum was supposed to be paid by the man but he did not have the money.

The man seeked for help from his rural municipality but according to the municipality they are not able to allocate such a sum from their budget. For that season the municipality turned to the Ministry of Social Affairs which decided to help and applied for the money to be allocated from the government's reserve.