A recent study shows that at least 50 newly trained doctors must graduate every year to alleviate the current shortage. But the numbers still fall short.

This year 40 were places were available but not all were filled.

"So now, of the 36 who applied, we have been able to accept 29," said Ruth Kalda, professor of family medicine at the University of Tartu.

However, Kalda cannot say that GP training is not popular. There are simply far fewer doctors coming out of general practice than there are places in residency.

"Most of the applicants want to get in, but the need is just so great that it's hard to fill the 40 places with this number of graduates. It's just that there should be more graduates," explained Kalda.

Currently, 710 family doctors are working in Estonia, but in the coming years, half of them are likely to retire. Ida-Viru County has the largest number of family doctors of already at retirement age.

The Estonian Health Insurance Fund has been known about the problem for a long time.

"We still need to formulate it clearly as a nationwide problem. Ultimately, this cannot be a problem for the Health Insurance Fund alone, because whether medical care is still available will ultimately affect absolutely everything," said Laura Johanna Tuisk, service manager of family medicine at the agency,

Le Vallikivi, the long-time chairman of the Association of Family Doctors (Eesti Perearstide Selts), is also pessimistic about the future.

"It's not going to get any better in 10 years' time, quite the opposite. The profession of general practitioner will probably be valued more," Vallikivi said.

Kalda said the situation can improve under certain conditions.

If, for example, we now admit significantly more students to medical school next year and the year after, and the number of graduates and residencies increases by that much, then in 10 years' time things might stabilize. So that the curve no longer goes downwards." 

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