Estonia, Financial Services, Insurance, Legislation, Markets and Companies, Medicine

The Estonian Society of Family Doctors at the end of August sent an inquiry to Prime Minister Juri Ratas with the proposal to include a representative of family doctors among the members of the supervisory board of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund. "The reason for the inquiry was the society's concern that family doctors, through the eyes of whom the bigger picture of the patients will be represented, are not consulted when making decision that concern the health of all people in Estonia. Now the wish is to completely leave out medical competence from discussions on questions concerning healthcare," Diana Ingerainen, head of the Estonian Society of Family Doctors, said in a press release.

"The decisions born at the supervisory board concern both our everyday health questions as well as the future availability of healthcare. It is unthinkable that experience of doctors and medical knowledge is lacking for that," Ingerainen said. "The committees created alongside the supervisory board are seen as a solution, but experience so far has shown that politicians often do not listen to expert opinions and the decision may not be born in the interest of people's health."

The Ministry of Social Affairs last week sent out a draft regulation to decrease the number of members of the supervisory board of the Health Insurance Fund from 15 members to seven.

The aim of cutting back on the size of the supervisory board is to make the work of the supervisory board more efficient and decrease the risk of possible conflicts of interest, Minister of Health and Labor Jevgeni Ossinovski said. A permanent advisory committee at the Health Insurance Fund will also be created to include partners from the healthcare sector and the opinion of the committee will be the basis when forming the viewpoints of the supervisory board.

According to job positions, the members of the reduced supervisory board include the minister of health and labor, the minister of finance, chairman of the parliament's state budget control select committee, two supervisory board members appointed by the government at the proposal of the Estonian Employers' Confederation, and one supervisory board member each from the Estonian Trade Union Confederation and the Estonian Chamber of Disabled People at the proposal of both unions.