Health Board approves two-person ambulance crews for Tallinn in 2027

Estonia’s Health Board has authorised Tallinn Ambulance to operate two reduced-staff nurse crews during daytime hours in 2027, ERR reports.

The crews may operate from January 1 through December 31, between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. One will be based in Haabersti and the other in Lasnamäe.

Health Board Director General Birgit Lao signed the decision this week. She said Tallinn’s population has grown by nearly 50,000, or 12%, since 2012, with percentage growth even faster in nearby municipalities. Population growth and ageing are expected to increase demand for ambulance services and the likelihood of simultaneous emergency calls, Lao said.

The board said the data point to a persistent gap between ambulance resources and demand in Tallinn, rather than a temporary increase in workload. The Health Insurance Fund also approved the decision.

According to the board’s analysis of ambulance workload in 2025, crews in Tallinn were occupied 53% of the time between 9 a.m. and 8:59 p.m., compared with 28% overnight. The daytime figure was almost twice as high as in other counties.

The decision said Tallinn’s regular ambulance resources had at times been insufficient to handle call volumes. With approval from the Health Board’s duty team, additional crews have been deployed in the city around 10 times a year.

A regulation adopted in 2016 allows the board to authorise reduced-staff ambulance crews if they improve service quality, availability and efficiency.