Staff shortages force Ida-Viru County’s only psychiatric hospital to close

Ida-Viru County’s only hospital focused on mental health treatment will close because of a staff shortage, ERR reported. Ahtme Hospital will provide inpatient mental health care for Ida-Viru Central Hospital until next spring.

Ahtme Hospital’s chief physician, Georgi Belotserkovski, said a year ago the hospital stopped accepting emergency patients. He warned that people may not receive proper care if they cannot travel to Tartu or Tallinn, and that their health could deteriorate. An ageing population is also expected to increase the need for treatment of age-related mental health disorders.

Ida-Viru Central Hospital is seeking solutions to the problems the closure could cause. It has increased its inpatient capacity, but says this will not help every patient. Chief physician Pille Letjuka said patients would not be left without support, though final arrangements would take time.

The central hospital had planned for years to take over Ahtme Hospital’s inpatient services, but abandoned plans to build a new facility for people with mental health disorders. Letjuka said the hospital did not receive funding it had initially been promised. She added that even if the funding had been secured and the building completed, there would not have been enough staff to work there.

Ahtme Hospital recorded more than 5,000 visits last year. After it closes, the building is planned to become a care home.