Tanel Kiik: I have not been offered the vaccine. I also haven’t asked

Minister of Health and Labor Tanel Kiik. Photo: Sander Ilvest

Minister of Health and Labor Tanel Kiik (Center Party) will have to solve the coronavirus crisis, protect public health and stay on top of labor market policy.

You have been the right-hand man of Center Party leader Jüri Ratas for quite a long time, while rumor has it that you are your party’s gray eminence in charge of major decisions and various plans. Is that true?

We have democratic process in the party. Jüri Ratas chairs the party and often involves ministers, deputy chairmen, MPs and local government heads in decision-making based on what kind of decisions are needed.

It was said regarding the previous government that you were in charge of ministerial appointments and the coalition. Whence such notions?

I believe that people’s fantasy is boundless. I have worked with Jüri Ratas for nine years and I’m sure it has provided grounds. We have worked together since May of 2012, in the Riigikogu opposition, the prime minister’s bureau and on the government level recently, meaning that we share a tight bond and communicate closely.

Yours has been a turbulent and swift career. Did you take an interest in politics back in school and how did you end up riding the political carousel?

I came to politics following my own initiative. I have been keeping an eye on election results since 1999 when I was 10. There were many political discussions and debates in school – social education class, with my history teachers and classmates. Eventually, we decided together with a few friends to go to the Center Party office and ask to join. Because we were minors, we could not join the party proper but became members of its youth assembly. It started from there, joining the party and various positions followed. I also worked in the private sector for a time and have been more or less back at it so to speak since 2012.

Why did you decide in favor of Center as a young man?

The party’s ideology was a good fit for me. The principles of a fair state, solidarity, social equality and equal treatment of people have also been my values.

That said, you have admitted that the Center Party you joined back in the day has disappointed you. You also spent a little time in the Social Democratic Party before rejoining Center. What was the reason and did the Social Democrats offer you a position?

It was in 2009 after I had spent two years working in the Center Party office where the former chairman [Edgar Savisaar – ed.] and I had some differences. It came down to one of us leaving and since it was not looking like he was going anywhere, I decided to spend some time away.

In what does your current portfolio differ from its predecessor?

The Ministry of Social Affairs has the largest administrative area. It covers healthcare, labor, social security, equality and includes accessibility, victim support, child protection, pensions. All of it used to be my administrative area, while it has now been divided in two. I am in charge of healthcare and labor market issues and my good colleague Signe Riisalo oversees social security, pension policy, child protection and equality.

Why do we find ourselves in a situation where some medical professions do not want to be vaccinated? How many medics have refused the vaccine? Do you have that information?

Talking about the Estonian healthcare system, around 70-80 percent have been interested in the vaccine. The percentage is higher among doctors and somewhat lower among nurses and caregivers.

The Ministry of Social Affairs said last week that it is not keeping tabs on how many medics refuse to be vaccinated. Are you collecting the data or not?

Rather, hospitals have that information. Estonia has a lot of hospitals and other healthcare institutions – we have 20 hospitals, 785 family medicine practices and other organizations. We are talking about thousands of institutions – naturally, they are in possession of this information.

We are receiving fewer doses of vaccines than anticipated, with supply problems being one reason. What to do in this situation? How will the ministry solve the problem so Estonia would get the doses it has been promised?

The legal nuances of the contract were agreed primarily between the European Commission and vaccine manufacturers. We have put pressure on manufacturers to stick to agreements. We also turned to the Commission with our Nordic-Baltic colleagues when Pfizer/BioNTech deliveries waned. We wrote to say it is unacceptable. The problems that were initially forecast to last a month were over in a week.

You rather optimistically said at the end of last year that you believe 2021 will be the end of the coronavirus pandemic. Do you still believe that?

Talking about Estonia and Europe – definitely. Talking about the world as a whole, there are countries where the vaccines will not arrive yet.

We are experiencing vaccine shortages, while we can still read about certain people successfully cutting in line for vaccination. Where should I turn to get the vaccine today?

Indeed, talking about the healthcare system, we are mostly vaccinating medical professions, healthcare staff in general…

You said that 1 percent of doses are being used outside the scope of the vaccination plan.

At most. There have been situations where the sixth dose in a vial has been left over so to speak. Where it was not considered when putting together the list of people to be vaccinated. In those cases, people have been called to come in and get vaccinated, while in some of these cases it has been reported [by the media] that these offers went outside hospitals under somewhat unclear circumstances. We have the Valga Hospital example where people have taken responsibility by today.

How many times have you been offered the vaccine?

I have not been offered the vaccine nor have I asked for it.

Family medicine centers have started vaccinating people in risk groups. Who is monitoring the centers’ buffer list?

Every healthcare institution is responsible for compliance and monitoring. Estonia has around a thousand medical institutions and it is unfathomable for someone to go over all of these lists…

And should we get new elite vaccinees?

Medical workers understand that the vaccination plan is there to be followed. Exceptions need to be addressed and disclosed if necessary, questions asked in terms of why this particular person was vaccinated. Some people have been offered the chance. In most cases, these offers are justified.

What freedoms are restored to people who are vaccinated?

We decided on Thursday that people who have recovered from COVID-19 or been given two doses of the vaccine will no longer have to isolate upon becoming a patient’s close contact over a period of six months as their risk of being infected is modest when compared to a person who has not been vaccinated.

You have quoted British historian Lord Acton, saying that “power corrupts, while absolute power corrupts absolutely.” How has power and the position of government minister changed you?

I hope it hasn’t to any notable degree. At least that is what my friends say.