Vaga says live broadcast collapse left him ashamed

Reform Party secretary-general and Riigikogu member Kristo Enn Vaga said he initially felt he had let down the people he represented after suffering a health episode during a live broadcast of the television debate programme First Studio, ERR reported.

Vaga took part in the debate for the first time on September 9. He collapsed during the programme and was taken by ambulance from the television station.

He said he remembered greeting the public at the start of the programme, followed by brief moments in which presenter Andres Kuusk brought him a chair and fellow participants Mihhail Kõlvart and Urmas Reinsalu supported him. His next clear memory was lying on a sofa outside the studio with paramedics around him.

Vaga said he fully understood what had happened only at ITK, where he was receiving an intravenous infusion and his memory returned.

His wife, Stinne Vaga, said concerns about his workload and the pressure he was under had existed for a long time. She referred to his work at the Ministry of Defence, campaign management roles, parliamentary duties and the demands of the previous summer, including presidential elections, preparations for an autumn campaign, Siim’s departure, ministerial changes and scandals.

“It is not realistic for one person to carry all of this,” Stinne Vaga said.

Kristo Enn Vaga said he wanted to do everything properly and be involved in matters within his responsibility. He acknowledged that this had affected his health, despite previously believing that he could cope with everything as a former top-level athlete.

When programme staff realised that Vaga was feeling unwell, he initially refused to leave the studio. A chair was brought to him, and he reportedly wanted to return to the programme even after the ambulance arrived.

Vaga said he did not remember falling twice, but was told that Kõlvart helped him up and joked that he needed men like Vaga at his martial arts training because they would say they were ready to return to the ring after being knocked out.

“I felt shame and embarrassment that I had let the team down. I had let down the people I represented there,” Vaga said.

Vaga said he was diagnosed with a heart rhythm disorder last year. He described it as a malfunction in the electrical system controlling the blood vessels, causing the heart rate to fluctuate sharply within seconds. The episodes usually last one or two minutes and can lead to fainting or simply feeling unwell, he said, adding that all his other readings were normal.

Vaga said he had received hundreds of supportive messages over the past week, including similar accounts from public figures, politicians and businesspeople. He said the messages had given him peace of mind that he was not alone.