Frequently asked questions

Who is my family doctor?

Your family doctor can be found from the citizen’s portal at www.eesti.ee or by calling the Health Insurance Fund information hotline 16363.

The Health Insurance Fund recommends choosing a family doctor by residence region, because the probability of needed medical care is higher there.

Choosing and changing a family doctor

If you are not content with the chosen or assigned family doctor, you can change your family doctor. Often the family doctor is changed due to changing the place of residence. To choose or change the family doctor, a signed application should be presented to which the family doctor corresponds within 7 days. Admission to the list is based on an application if places are available and also new-born children of the members of a list are accepted.

If you switch to a new family doctor you need to submit your health record copy to your new family doctor. Excerpt from the Medicum health record can be obtained from the registrations office or by calling by phone +372 605 0601.

Your previous family doctor is obliged to issue this data or give reasons for refusing the issuing of the documents within five working days after receipt of the application. For the issuing of a copy of the health record your family doctor is entitled to ask for remuneration starting from the 21st page (20 cents per page).

You copy of the health record will be issued on the basis of an identity document within three working days from the registrations office. Other person’s documents can be issued to an authorised proxy.

Information about family doctors can be found from the website of the Health Board.

NB! If you go to a new family doctor, be sure to take along a copy of your old health data!

What should you do if you fall ill?

Please contact your family medicine centre at the earliest possible opportunity.
Talk clearly and precisely about your concern.
Tell what you have done for relief of your concern and whether it helped or not.
Tell whether you need incapacity for work, as this must begin on the first day of illness and cannot be opened in retrospective, except in the availability of an ambulance card, hospital or ED excerpt within 48 hours.
If you need a doctor’s advice after hours (after five on weekdays and on Saturday and Sunday), call the family doctor hotline 1220.

If you have a life-threatening condition, such as seizures, severe bleeding, severe chest pain, call an ambulance – phone 112.

What do insured people have to pay for?

Your family doctor house call fee is 5 euros, regardless of the number of insured people per home visit. For a home visit, there is no fee for pregnant women from the 12th week of pregnancy and for children less than 2 years.
The doctor may not ask for a fee for a certificate of incapacity for work, prescription or for documents necessary for the evaluation of mandatory military service. Also, if the document is necessary for the Health Insurance Fund, a law enforcement agency or work incapacity expert opinion to determine the severity of disability or in other cases provided by law.
Your doctor may request a reasonable fee for issued documents (e.g. medical certificate).

The family doctor hotline 1220

The family doctor hotline 1220 is a nationwide telephone, where you can get medical advice 24 hours a day, in Estonian and Russian.

You can call 1220 for advice and simple instructions in primary health issues and, if necessary, also the information about general health care organisation issues. The caller’s identity is not requested during the call, so advice may asked for by insured and uninsured people.

Calling 1220 by a landline is free for 5 minutes, after that a regular fee is applied. During a call from a mobile phone, the regular minute price is immediately applied.

Family doctor hotline 1220 is provided to facilitate advice and assistance:

  • during the time when your own family doctor is not available;
  • if you think that your health problem does not need a visit to a family doctor;
  • if you are in another county in Estonia;
  • if you are abroad and cannot immediately contact your family doctor (from abroad by calling + 372 630 4107);
  • if you need a consultation on someone else’s (child, relative) health issues.