Family Doctors to Take Over Care of Chronically Sick Patients
An amendment passed by Parliament today regarding medical insurance and aid for disabled persons puts family doctors in charge of caring for chronically ill patients.
From October, chronically ill patients wanting to make appointments with specialists free of charge will be required to get referrals from their family doctors, as is the case with all other patients. After an initial appointment, specialists can set up follow-up visits without having to go through the family doctor.
Lawmakers say the change will decrease the long queues for seeing specialists.
The Hospitals Association has criticized the amendment, asserting that it would leave many chronically ill patients without aid and force them to resort to paid appointments with specialists.
Ott Tammik