The new hospital has been discussed for years, but questions about who will fund the work – the state or the European Union – are still unanswered. The government has said the state cannot bear all the costs itself.

The design contract for the hospital costs €27 million, but there is no guarantee the building will be completed.

Solman was asked by ERR's Vikkerraadio on Friday if the city government plans to conduct an expert review to see if the design process can be paused or even terminated if there is no funding.

The deputy mayor said the situation is being investigated and analyzed, but the design process will continue as contracts have been signed. It is not currently known if the process can be stopped or paused.

"We are responsible administrators. If the project team has been hired, contracts signed, and work begun, then we proceed accordingly. There is a glimmer of hope to apply for new EU funding during the process, through a consortium involving major Estonian hospitals – such a faint hope still exists," she said.

Solman suggested the project could go into "standby mode" until funding is requested from the European Union.

She said the city government has also met with Minister of Social Affairs Karmen Joller (Reform) to discuss the matter.

The deputy mayor stressed that there is no doubt Estonia needs a new hospital, but the City of Tallinn cannot build it alone.

"It would be a hospital serving the entire region, which means the state must be involved. As I said, I have already asked the legal department to prepare an analysis of the options. But I definitely want to emphasize that this excellent project team of experts continues its work today. We must honor the commitments we've taken on," Solman summed up.

Minister: Old data

On Friday, Joller said she welcomed Tallinn's decision to look at ways to stop the hospital design. She said it is based on old data, which cannot be used to create a modern facility.

The minister said the documents were reviewed in the summer and the design data was found to be from 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018.

"If a hospital is being designed based on such outdated data and treatment volumes, then it cannot be a modern hospital or take today's needs into account. Over the past 10 years, we've seen the emergence of telemedicine, increased use of day treatment instead of inpatient care, and so on," she explained.

"I actually welcome this decision by the Tallinn city government. I believe the state and the city really must cooperate here," Joller added.

The minister said the hospital's design and functional planning must be viewed in the context of the whole of Estonia.

She also raised the idea of mergers. "I myself would see the North Estonian Medical Center and Tallinn Children's Hospital merging, but of course we have to talk to the Tallinn city government about what their plans are," said Joller.

"Careful planning" is needed to proceed, she added, such as which services are needed, where and how many doctors and nurses are needed.

"Only when these things have been thought through can we start thinking about which premises to provide services in. Whether it is necessary to renovate existing hospitals or build a completely new hospital. Nowadays, we also have to think about security. It has been pointed out many times that one large hospital is a greater security risk than several small ones," said Joller.

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