Estonian justice chancellor flags conscripts' difficulty reaching a dentist
An inspection by Estonia's Office of the Chancellor of Justice at a Defense Forces Cyber Command unit in Tallinn found that conscripts can wait more than ten weeks for a dental appointment. The office has asked the unit to ensure timely dental care.
Conscripts serving in a Tallinn-based unit of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) have difficulty getting dentist appointments, according to an inspection by the Office of the Chancellor of Justice. The inspection took place on August 11 at the Strategic Communications Center of the EDF's Cyber Command and aimed to review service conditions and assess whether conscripts' rights were being protected.
During the visit, officials toured the unit's facilities on Filtri tee and spoke with active duty servicemembers and conscripts.
In a letter to the center's commander, Capt. Raiko Jäärats, Olari Koppel, the Deputy Chancellor of Justice and adviser who is serving as acting chancellor of justice, wrote that conscripts are legally entitled to see a doctor and a dentist, but that dental care has proved hard to access. One conscript told inspectors that reaching the dentist had been difficult.
How appointments work
Under the current system, conscripts must phone the dental office at their place of service or ask their squad leader to help arrange a visit. Those in pain should go to the medical center. If the dentist cannot take a call, they ring back once available, but the conscript may not be able to answer at that moment. Koppel wrote that, as a result, more than ten weeks may pass between contacting the dentist and getting an appointment.
Citing the chief dentist, Koppel noted that a new patient registration system has been in development since September. It should make it easier for conscripts to contact the dental office and be seen sooner. Until it is in place, the Office of the Chancellor of Justice has asked the Cyber Command's Strategic Communications Center to make sure conscripts can get dental care promptly when they need it.
The inspection also found too few toilets in the conscripts' barracks and no suitable space for leisure time. The indoor gym was too small for everyone who wanted to use it, and no schedule had been set for allocating its use.
