If you have the symptoms of a disease or wish to check your health condition, the first medical professional to turn to is your general practitioner (family doctor).
You have the right to choose a general practitioner (family doctor) and to register in the list of patients. You also can change the general practitioner that you use and re-register.
A general practitioner:
- diagnoses and treats most diseases;
- monitors child’s progress and persons with chronic conditions;
- performs minor surgical procedures;
- refers patients for tests and takes analyses;
- vaccinates;
- makes home visits, if necessary;
- gives advice on care, injuries or intoxications and in terms of preventive measures to all persons included in their practice list.
In Estonia, the care provided by general practitioners (having a contract with the State) is covered for patients with state health insurance by the Estonian Health Insurance Fund.
Read more about State-paid health care services in this Guide.