"Until now, outpatient emergency medical visits for individuals up to 19 years old registered in the Tartu population register were exempt from visit fees, as the cost was covered by the city of Tartu. As of January 2026, exceptions will no longer apply in emergency cases, and a €5 visit fee will be charged for emergency medical services for individuals under 19," a hospital spokesperson explained.

The change does not apply to children under the age of two, who will continue to receive outpatient healthcare services without a visit fee, according to the hospital.

Tartu Deputy Mayor Martin Bekk (Reform) said the decision to implement visit fees at the hospital was made under the previous city government.

"The city had been covering these fees by default, but now there is a desire to move toward a more needs-based approach," Bekk said. "When visit fees are covered across the board, the financial benefit isn't equally significant for every patient," he added.

Bekk said there are no plans to reverse the decision.

The hospital's emergency and urgent care procedures for both children and adults will remain unchanged: in cases of sudden health problems, patients can turn to the emergency department or the urgent care on-call services at the pediatric, ENT, women's, ophthalmology, dental, and psychiatric clinics.

The aim of urgent care is to treat children and adults who are experiencing sudden and acute health problems that are life-threatening or potentially life-threatening.

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