The fund is under fire after the media reported on its lavish summer days event, held at the end of July.

The Health Insurance Fund moved to the new Arteri kvartal development in central Tallinn, at the end of last year.

Staff are not required to work in-office as a rule, however, with many preferring to work remotely instead.

The fund's head of communications, Dan Lõhmus, told ERR that since the Covid pandemic there had been no mandatory number of days employees must be in the office, adding that in any case the facility could not accommodate all staff at the same time.

"Unlike various other companies, the Health Insurance Fund has not currently obliged its people to work on-site in the office for a set number of days. At the same time, this cannot be ruled out in the future," he added.

The new building's fire safety requirements mean no more than 90 people can be simultaneously in-office working, less than half the fund's full complement of 200, with occupancy fluctuating. "During the summer holidays there are understandably fewer people in the office, but with the arrival of autumn, direct teamwork and meetings with partners become more active," Lõhmus said.

The fund's director, Rain Laane, had said last December the new premises in the Arteri kvartal represented a cost-savings project, and is not much more than half the size of the previous offices on nearby Lastekodu tänav.

The fund has signed a lease on the office facilities, which have an area just under 2,000 square meters, for a 10-year maximum period.

While the agency has not stated the rental costs of the facility, Delfi reported on Wednesday that State Shared Services Center's (RTK) data shows the Health Insurance Fund has been paying Arter Kinnisvara €60,000 per month.

The fund's management came under scrutiny this week after media reports revealed an office summer days event held at the plush Wagenküll spa hotel, in South Estonia may have cost €100,000. This raised eyebrows due to reported underfunding in the Estonian healthcare sector and the current economic picture of soaring food inflation and tax rises.

Laane said the party's cost was "definitely" less than the €100,000 reported by Õhtuleht, and the fund is due to announce an exact figure on Friday.

The Riigikogu's special anti-corruption committee is due to start discussing the Health Insurance Fund's rental costs and team events, and on Thursday announced it will be requesting documentation from the agency, as so far contradictory information has been arriving on the office rental and party costs.

The opposition Center Party called for Ministry of Social Affairs Karmen Joller's (Reform) resignation in the wake of the reports. Joller noted that she had not yet been made minister when the summer days event was planned, and that hiring out the entire luxury spa hotel, housed in the Taagapera manor, for its summer event and also attempting to conceal that act had been "completely unacceptable." The Health Insurance Fund falls under the social affairs ministry's remit.

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