Estonia, Health, Markets and Companies, Medicine

The bed places at the end of 2017 included 1,830 places for independent inpatient nursing care, which was effectively unchanged year over year.

The number of hospitals was 53, including 34 curative care hospitals and 19 nursing care hospitals.

Hospital treatment was provided to 25,774 children up to 14 years of age and to 19,3979 adults last year. The numbers were smaller by respectively 4.3% and 2.3% than in 2016.

The number of patients who received nursing care was 20,830, effectively the same as in 2016.

The most frequent causes of receiving treatment in a hospital were the same as in 2016: vascular illnesses, tumors, and pregnancy and childbirth.

In independent nursing care the share of patients suffering from a vascular illness was 40%.

The most common condition for the hospitalization of children was an illness of the respiratory tract.

Altogether 57 healthcare institutions across Estonia provided day care in 2017, including 26 hospitals and 31 outpatient care providers. The number of day care bed places was 619, including 498 beds in hospital and 121 in outpatient establishments. The number of day care cases was effectively unchanged from 2016.

During the year 8,625 children and 75,180 adults received day care in Estonia, respectively three% less and three% more than in 2016.

The most common condition with which adults were admitted to day care was eye disorders and the most common condition for children illnesses of the respiratory tract.

Where no major changes took place in inpatient and day care bed numbers or treatment cases compared with 2016, over the past decade there has been a continuous trend towards a reduction in inpatient curative care and an increase in day care cases.