The change does not affect patients with serious conditions or injuries, but those with milder complaints may now be sent to their family doctor or a pharmacy rather than waiting hours in the ER. North Estonia Medical Centre (PERH) said the shift will be gradual, not immediate.

PERH ER chief Marit Märk said incoming patients will still be triaged first, with those showing symptoms of viral illness, insect bites or routine needs like prescription refills or tetanus shots directed elsewhere.

The goal, she noted, is to ease the strain on emergency rooms, especially on weekdays when primary care is available.

East Tallinn Central Hospital (ITK) will initially continue largely as before, with some patients seen by doctors and others by specialist nurses.

The hospital does, however, plan to reorganize workflows in the coming months and hire triage nurses for initial assessments.

"Triage remains part of specialist care — we assess patients' vitals and health risks for emergency treatment," said ITK ER chief Raivo Rohtla, adding that ERs currently handle too much primary care work.

He said wider access to health centers or walk-in urgent care clinics like elsewhere in the world could help reduce the burden.

Hospitals are also aiming for more consistent practices to prevent patients from moving between ERs seeking care.

West Tallinn Central Hospital (LTK), however, said it will not change its system, noting it handles many ambulance cases and can continue to assess all patients.

Nursing director Aleksei Gaidajenko said the hospital sees relatively few low-priority patients under its current triage model.

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