Estonia sees fewer minor ER visits, but no letup in hospital workloads
Emergency room visits in Estonia fell by nearly 11,000 in the first nine months of this year, but the decline in minor cases has been offset by a rise in more serious ones.
The Estonian Health Insurance Fund (EHIF) said visits in the lowest, green triage category fell by nearly 15,000 on year. Visits in the other triage categories combined, meanwhile, rose by about 3,800, leaving hospitals' overall workload largely unchanged.
Marit Märk, chief of emergency medicine at North Estonia Medical Center (PERH), said the hospital has seen fewer patients with minor complaints but more coming to the ER with serious conditions, including patients arriving by ambulance who need urgent treatment.
The trend varies by region. At Tartu University Hospital (TÜK), visits for minor complaints have edged up from last year but remain below 2024 levels. The hospital recorded 15,883 such visits in the first nine months of 2024, 13,991 in 2025 and 14,259 this year, said emergency physician Kaarel Uba.
With more patients arriving in ERs in more serious condition, EHIF says it's more important than ever to ensure patients get the right care in the right place and at the right time.
"One of the goals in EHIF's development plan is to bolster primary care, including through the wider use of e-consultations," said EHIF primary care portfolio manager Liis Kruus.
She said the fund is also prioritizing early intervention for cardiovascular disease to prevent conditions from worsening to the point of requiring emergency care.
Stay home with the flu
Märk said some patients still come to the ER for problems that could be handled by a family doctor or pharmacist, such as tick or earwax removal in summer and cold and flu symptoms in fall and winter.
Even so, PERH has seen a marked decline in such cases. "In the summer of 2025, we saw about 250 to 300 ER visits for tick removal," Märk recalled. "By mid-August this year, we'd only seen around 60."
With flu season approaching, Märk stressed that ERs are not the place to go simply to find out whether someone has the flu or some other viral infection.
Those with mild symptoms can usually manage them at home for the first few days, she said, taking an over-the-counter rapid test or asking a pharmacist for advice on symptom relief if needed.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Aili Vahtla
