Patient claims for treatment-related harm surge in Estonia under insurance system
Estonia's patient insurance system is in its second year, and the number of compensation claims has risen markedly. Most payouts are linked to medical errors.
The number of claims for harm caused during medical treatment is rising sharply in Estonia, a Baltic country, where a patient insurance system has now been running for a second year. It replaced the earlier arrangement, under which such cases were handled by an expert committee on the quality of medical services. The figures were reported by Estonian public broadcaster ERR, citing the programme "Aktuaalne kaamera+".
Claims have grown
The expert committee used to receive roughly 200 applications a year. Since the new system was introduced, the number has increased considerably: 469 claims were filed in 2025, and 664 in the first ten months of this year.
Since the system launched, insurers have reviewed 863 claims. Of these, 226 were recognised as insured events, while the remaining 637 were rejected.
Why compensation is paid
The largest share of compensation cases, 84%, involves direct errors by doctors. These are followed by infections acquired while receiving medical care, and by the prescription of a wrong medication or an incorrect dose.
Amounts paid out
Over the period the system has operated, patients have received more than one million euros in compensation in total. The average payout is nearly 6,000 euros, and the largest single payment exceeded 32,000 euros.
