Speaking at Thursday's regular government press confference, Prime Minister Michal said: "Not all ideas on Tallinn and municipal life should begn and end with pouring concrete. Concrete pouring cannot be the catharsis of human life."

"The concept of Tallinn Hospital emerged from this, that there are several different hospitals in Tallinn, with different possibilities, which could merge," the prime minister went on.

"And merging would avoid unnecessary competition occurimng, and really benefit patients and healthcare workers' interests more," he added.

Both city and state have relatively new administrations: In Tallinn, the Reform-Isamaa-SDE-Eesti 200 alignment entere office in April, while last month three of these four parties, Reform, the Social Democrats (SDE) and Eesti 200, re-entered office in their latest incarnation, with Michal heading up the government.

Michal suggested that the city government, in collaboration with the Health Insurance Fund (Töötukassa), the North Estonia Medical Center (PERH, a hospital based in the Mustamäe district of town), and the Ministry of Social Affairs, should meet to discuss and determine the benefits for patients and healthcare workers, as well as the overall healthcare landscape in the region.

"Consequent to that, we can ask what sort of buildings we need, which buildings will be sold, and which new buildings we will construct," Michal went on.

"If the discussion about Tallinn Hospital begins with the idea of constructing a new building: Well that cannot be the focus. The focus instead should be on offering a better service to patients in the region, and a better working environment for healthcare workers," he stressed.

"We do not have a formulated party stance on this issue. I personally support various activities in Tallinn which are aimed at improving healthcare conditions. This is reasonable, and is certainly the city's responsibility. The state can also contribute."

"However, when it comes to the state's financial situation, when someone proposes to allocate €300 million, the health minister and finance minister can provide a detailed description of the state's financial picture," the prime minister went on.

Pakosta: Focus should be on personalized medicine

Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200) also noted that too much attention has been paid to concrete without a clear understanding of the best modern solution.

She said "As digital minister, I would add that we have a fantastic success story with personalized medicine. If we aim to save lives, extend healthy living years, make all services precisely accessible, and minimize hospital stays, we would then have the best foundation globally to use digital tools for health improvement."

"If we invested the money from concrete pouring into developing personalized medicine, every person in Estonia would likely see a significant improvement in their health," the minister added

"We have simply started to build the world's best foundation for health data and personalized medicine. We already have many aspects in place. We should make leaps forward from here, though it requires financial resources that [Finance Minister Jürgen] Ligi is right now not distributing to generously," Pakosta added.

Svet: It's not just about building a box

Minister of Infrastructure Vladimir Svet (SDE), a former Tallinn deputy mayor, expressed hope that the city finds a solution with the state on Tallinn Hospital.

"My modest knowledge of the Tallinn Hospital project and my experience as a local government election candidate who has been in support this hospital allows me to state that the plan is not just about building some sort of box," he said.

"Even when we build state-funded high schools in Estonia, the question is not just about new buildings but about the new quality of service we can offer to clients. We must take a look at the entire picture. We must concede that the existing East Tallinn (ITKH) and West Tallinn (LTKH) central hospital buildings are highly dilapidated, and we should question whether it makes sense to invest in these long-term, as against building a new, standalone hospital," Svewent on.

"I welcome the approach introduced by the prime minister that we must focus on patient benefits, improving services for people, and considering the broader picture," Svet added.

"We are really aware that hospitals in Tallinn now and in the future serve not only the capital's residents but a large part of our country," Svet went on.

"I believe the current political situation and the level of discussion create a very strong foundation for the state and for Tallinn to develop a common understanding on how to carry out hospital work in the capital region, and throughout northern Estonia," the minister concluded

While the brainchild of the previous Tallinn administration, the proposed Tallinn Hospital remains on the table, even as the previous design contract was annulled. The issue of funding remains; the capital cannot fund the build alone, though once functioning the hospital would likely serve a far wider catchment area than just Tallinn and environs.

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