According to Mart Jesse, chairman of the board of the Estonian Insurance Association (EKsL), mandatory liability insurance of health care providers, or patient insurance, is an important milestone in Estonian health care, which increases confidence of both health care workers and patients, the Association said.

The Health Care Provider Liability Insurance Act, which will enter into force on December 1 this year, will simplify the procedure for patients to request compensation for damage incurred during provision of health care services, as it is sufficient to contact the same health care provider or the insurance company that offers them liability insurance. As the process becomes simpler, it can be assumed that the number of claims will increase exponentially, as has been seen in Finland as well.

Liability insurance also gives greater confidence to the health care workers, because in the future only regular insurance premiums have to be paid.

The advent of liability insurance has caused strong opposition among healthcare professionals, especially those who are self-employed, because annual insurance premiums can be very high. It is to be hoped that insurance premiums, which initially seem high, will start to decrease when it becomes clear in practice how many claims occur during a year and what compensations are to be paid, EKsL added.