Tallinn Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski sent a letter today to Prime Minister Kristen Michal urging the government to make a decision on funding the new medical campus in Tallinn and establishing a unified hospital system. If the government fails to act soon, the city will move ahead on its own to merge its healthcare institutions – East Tallinn Central Hospital, West Tallinn Central Hospital, and Tallinn Children’s Hospital. The state-owned North Estonia Medical Centre (PERH) can only be included in this merger with a decision from the national government. Without such a decision, PERH will remain outside the unified hospital system in Tallinn.

According to Mayor Ossinovski, a joint understanding was reached during a meeting with the Prime Minister on 27 January that Tallinn’s hospitals should be consolidated into a single company or foundation jointly established by the city and the state. The government has also designated the creation of the unified hospital as a key priority for healthcare organisation in the coming years, Ossinovski noted in his letter. The mayor emphasised that reaching an agreement on funding the new medical campus is essential for implementing the hospital reform. “Tallinn is prepared to co-finance the new hospital, even though specialised healthcare is not a mandatory function of local government,” Ossinovski wrote.

He added that the city and the state have discussed various funding models, such as proceeds from the sale of existing hospital buildings, CO₂ credit revenues, EU funds for crisis preparedness, accumulated profits from current hospitals, and additional tax revenue – which, for a project of this scale, could amount to tens of millions of euros. However, the state’s role in the hospital reform remains unclear. “I am concerned that the decision-making process has taken regrettably long,” the mayor stated.

According to Ossinovski, it is now the government’s last opportunity to decide whether it is willing to establish the unified hospital and co-finance the development of the new medical campus. “The window for carrying out the most significant healthcare reform in recent decades is almost closed,” he wrote.

The Tallinn City Government plans to submit the draft legislation for merging the hospitals to the City Council in the second half of May. The final Council session of the spring season is scheduled for 12 June, and the city expects a clear decision from the state by 16 May.

The mayor confirmed that he is ready to continue dialogue with the Prime Minister and government officials to reach an agreement and ensure that residents of the capital and the entire region have access to world-class healthcare services in the future.

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