Kiik recognizes Lanno for resignation

Director of the Health Board Üllar Lanno (right) handed his resignation to Minister of Health and Labor Tanel Kiik (left) on Monday morning. Photo: Eero Vabamägi / Postimees

Director of the Health Board Üllar Lanno handed his resignation to Minister of Health and Labor Tanel Kiik on Monday morning.

The minister thanked Lanno for what he described as a responsible decision. “It follows my own initiative from some time ago, so no other culprit needs to be found,” Lanno assured.

Asked whether the move constitutes taking responsibility for €3 million worth of vaccines and medicines being spoiled after a cold storage system malfunction at a Health Board facility, Lanno said that the agency has a single director and the responsibility can only be his.

At a press conference on Monday, Lanno looked back to last fall when society looked on in terror as coronavirus cases mounted. “The Health Board had to be everywhere, whereas people expected various measures to succeed in keeping society open, unlike in spring of last year,” Lanno said. Next, coronavirus vaccines arrived a month early. “This put new pressure on the board in terms of how to ensure availability of vaccines. How to make sure they would keep,” Lanno recalled, adding that the State Agency of Medicines was keeping a close eye on the situation.

The outgoing director said that the situation was complicated by the concurrence of several negative circumstances. Just as this summer’s heat wave contributed to the temperature rising in Health Board cold storage facilities.

Responsible decision

“Even after pharmaceutical companies greenlit the use of medicines after the temperature malfunction, we decided to avoid any and all risk,” Lanno explained. He said that the Health Board cold storage incident has led to several reports and studies concerning handling of vaccines and medicines in Estonia. “I believe that investigations can isolate errors and inaccuracies. All pretentions, audits, risks and cases of noncompliance reach executives,” he said. “My role in this case was falling behind.” Asked when he decided to resign and whether it was Sunday evening, Lanno said the idea had come to him on several occasions. “I felt the time is right,” he added.

“First, I would like to recognize the outgoing head of the Health Board Üllar Lanno for his work and the responsible decision to resign in the current situation,” Minister of Health and Labor Tanel Kiik (Center) said.

The minister said Lanno inherited the malfunctioning cold storage facility from the previous head of the board. Lanno will remain in office for another two weeks after which his tasks will be assumed by Deputy Director Mari-Anne Härma. The ministry will hold a competition to find the next director of the board. While Lanno is entitled to compensation for unused holidays and overtime, he will not be getting a severance package.

Kiik said that State Secretary Taimar Peterkop’s investigative report from August revealed that the roots of the problem go back further and that the situation at the warehouses was inadequate by the time Lanno took office. The minister said that the responsibility of the current leadership of the board amounts to failure to detect and remedy mistakes made by previous managers.

“Indeed, this particular management style is being dialed back – Marek Seer, Maris Jesse, Marika Priske and Üllar Lanno have all left,” Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) said.

Auditor General Janar Holm commented on the Health Board’s cry for help from 2018. “When we audited the Health Board in 2018, we were told that they lack resources and are not prepared to fulfill all of their obligations,” Holm said. “Revising the agency's tasks and responsibility and comparing it to available resources is crucial before finding the next director. We are currently on a merry-go-round.”

Lanno not to blame

Member of the Riigikogu State Budget Control Select Committee Marek Jürgenson (Center Party) said that Lanno assumed responsibility for State Real Estate Ltd (RKAS). “Unfortunately, we have spent too little time discussing RKAS’ omissions in the committee. Perhaps some of these activities should be audited,” he noted.

Deputy head of the opposition Conservative People’s Party (EKRE) Mart Helme said that Lanno’s departure will not solve a single problem at the Health Board or the ministry. “Let us recall Merike Jürilo’s resignation. There were high hopes for qualitative changes and leaps at the Health Board. They didn’t happen,” Helme said, adding that the departure of Deputy Secretary General Maris Jesse and Secretary General Marika Priske have similarly amounted to nothing. “Tanel Kiik – and I say this as his former coalition partner – is not fit for the job,” Helme said, pointing to Krylov’s fable “The Quartet” where a monkey, donkey, goat and a bear set out to play a string quartet. “No matter how many times you rearrange the chairs, you will not become musicians.” Helme finds that Kiik should be the one resigning. Nothing will change after the departure of Jesse, Seer, Priske and Lanno, Helme found. “Heads are rolling. It was said that we (EKRE – ed.) were a bunch of brutes, while [Secretary General of the Ministry of Rural Affairs Illar] Lemetti was the only one forced to resign back then,” Helme added.