"Estonian health sector needs urgent changes and the long time cover-up practice in medicine has to end. Health quality monitoring and objective complaints handling system are practically not existing in Estonia, people who reveal their own experiences about what they have witnessed in hospitals are punished with public revenge, hospitals themselves are often interested only about the money they get for treating patients and not the quality of medical treatment. As a doctor I can confirm that the horrible stories about the brutal experiences from the hospitals are just a tiny part of the disorganization in Estonian health care. As a doctor I keep being told by my patients about similar cases again and again. Unfortunately such publicly revealed cases also damage the reputation of those good doctors in hospitals who have nothing to do with this kind of behaviour and misdoings," said dr. Ivo Kolts, lecturer on anatomy at the Tartu University who attended a seminar about the violation of patient rights in Estonian hospitals and relevant proposals at the Conference Centre of the Parliament at Toompea on Monday, February 21, 2011.
The speakers at the seminar were Pille Ilves - the head of the Estonian Patient Advocacy Association, doctor Ivo Kolts - anatomy lecturer at Tartu university, Urmas Reinsalu - Head of Parliament Social Affairs Commission, MP Toomas Trapido who made a summary whether and what has changed for better in health sector since the last similar seminar at the Parliament Conference Centre nearly a year ago.
History teacher Endla Lindmäe spoke about her son´s case whom the doctors at Tallinn biggest hospital gave no hope at all for survival, left the 22-year old without relevant treatment that causes lot of moving problems still five years later, who was starved to 33-kg in Estonian hospital before the parents took their son home upon the advice of nurse who said he will otherwise die in days in hospital - but instead came out from comatose later at home and five years later has not even any brain damage.
The initiative to force Estonian government to admit the existing problems in Estonian hospitals and to encourage the government finally to compile and adopt Patient Rights Law was initiated last year by Estonian MP Toomas Trapido, myself and some other people who have faced the brutal treatment of their relatives in Estonian hospitals.
By winter 2011 two Estonian parties - Fatherland and Pro Patria Union and also Social Democrats have included the Patient Rights Bill into their parliament election program but the two biggest parties - the ruling Reform Party and Central Party have been still ignoring the need for Patient Rights Law and the need to handle the claims about the violation of human rights in Estonian hospitals.
Estonia government that compiled its last Human Rights Report to UN recently that was discussed in Geneva early February decided to ignore all the matter this time with excluding the Patient Rights Association first time ever from the list of NGOs who were asked to express their opinion and make proposals about the fresh report.
In January Estonian Patient Rights Association sent a letter to Social Ministry informing the ministry it withdrews from current medical quality commission that is considered not objective and its members are not punished even if they lied or falsificated documents. Estonian Patient Rights Association that has stressed repeatedly that human rights of patients are often violated in Estonia has made also several proposals to authorities to change the legislation and monitoring system and to set up a completely new health sector monitoring commission that will include also lawyers.
The summary in English about the speeches at the seminar will be added here later.
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Illegal chaining of patients in Tallinn hospitals, violent euthanasia, fatal errors, freezing of disabled, lack of objective quality and complaints control, ignoring UN criticism and Patient Advocacy Association. Struggle for Patient Rights Law. Corruption in Estonian medicine, threats and Soviet-style cover-up. Our horrible experiences from Tallinn hospitals.
