Joller says reform will improve ambulance care

Estonia’s planned emergency medical reform will improve the quality of ambulance services, Social Minister Karmen Joller said at a government press conference, according to ERR.

Joller said experts and service providers had recently expressed concerns in the media about the planned changes, adding that the ministry was listening to and taking those concerns into account.

She said the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Health Insurance Fund and the Health Board had presented proposals based on development priorities agreed with ambulance experts. The next meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, and all planned changes will be made in cooperation with experts, she said.

Joller said the last changes to Estonia’s ambulance system were made in 2014. Since then, the distribution of the population and the problems for which ambulances are called have changed, leading to plans to relocate some crews.

“Where possible and necessary, we also plan to change the composition of crews, but this will certainly not affect the quality of care provided. On the contrary, quality will be monitored more closely than before,” Joller said.

She added that ambulance bases would be located closer to people, which should allow crews to reach patients more quickly.

Joller said ambulance representatives and experts would be able to provide more details in a few months.

Veronika Reinhard, secretary of the ambulance union, told ERR’s Aktuaalne kaamera in July that reducing the number of crew members could lead to longer visits and greater ambulance utilisation. She also said that lifting patients could be difficult for two-person crews.