You have a right to file a complaint if you believe that your patient rights were violated during your medical treatment or your medical data were not protected. You also have a right to compensation if your health or life were harmed during your medical treatment.
Complaints regarding medical treatment
Complaint to the medical institution
If you have encountered issues during your medical treatment, you may first turn to the respective medical institution. You may contact your doctor, the head of the department or the head of the medical institution.
example A doctor determines a diagnosis after an examination of your medical records. When you ask for an explanation about what it means, the doctor refuses to provide detailed information and offers for you to read about it on the internet yourself. You may complain to the clinic’s administration about the non-observance of your right to information about your health condition.
Complaint to the Expert Committee on the Quality of Health Services
If your claim is not solved after turning to the doctor or medical institution, you may submit your complaint to the Expert Committee on the Quality of Health Services. The application can be submitted no later than 5 years from the date of the alleged violation.
Depending on the gravity of the violation, the Expert Committee on the Quality of Health Services may:
- assess the quality of health service provided to the patient
- make propositions to the Health Board for initiation of supervision proceedings over the activity of a healthcare provider
- make propositions to a health care provider for assessing the competence of a health care professional and sending him or her to in-service training
- make propositions to a health care provider for changing the organisation of work
- make propositions to the Health Board for revocation of an activity licence of a healthcare provider
- make propositions to the Health Board for refusal to issue an activity licence to a health care provider
- make propositions to the Estonian Health Insurance Fund for review of contracts for financing medical treatment entered into with a health care provider
Appeal
You can appeal a decision of the Expert Committee on the Quality of Health Services to the administrative court.
note Each complaint is evaluated individually. If there are signs of a criminal offense, the materials are forwarded to police to commence a criminal investigation. The police may also begin a criminal investigation on their own initiative.
example Negligence by a medical practitioner which has caused serious bodily injury to a patient is a criminal offence under the Estonian Penal Code.
You have the right to file an application to the court to protect your patient rights and interests, if the issues you have encountered cannot be solved through the medical institution or the Expert Committee on the Quality of Health Services.
Compensation for harm to a patient’s life or health
If your life or health was harmed during your medical treatment, you can turn to the health care service provider to request compensation. If an out of court settlement is not reached, you can turn to the courts.
note From July 2024, the compensation for the harm caused can be up to 30 000 EUR, depending on severity of the injury or harm caused.
note If a patient dies, the patient's heir has the right to submit a claim for compensation.
Complaints regarding medical data protection
You also have the right to complain to the Data State Inspectorate if the information which concerns your health - your medical data - has been unlawfully processed, for example, unlawfully disclosed to other persons or institutions.
Read more about how to complain about potential violations regarding your medical data protection.