"Procedures were initiated concerning Tallinn Emergency Medical Service (TEMS), West-Tallinn Central Hospital (LTK), East-Tallinn Central Hospital (ITK) and PERH," said Külli Friedemann, director of the Health Services Department at the Health Board. "The procedure will determine what actions were taken to ensure that patients' wait times remained within the allowed wait time."

Friedemann noted that the regulation that lays down cooperation procedures between ambulance services, hospitals, rescue and police institutions, the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) and the Health Board also specifies wait times for transporting and accepting patients at the hospital.

"For example, in cases of emergency and life-threatening conditions, the hospital is required to accept the patient without delay, and the wait time must not exceed 15 minutes," she said. "This applies to situations where a patient's condition is an emergency and potentially life-threatening or a patient's condition is already life-threatening. The wait time for non-emergency conditions is 30 minutes.

The national supervisory procedure is to determine how compliance with agreed-upon times established in this regulation is ensured, and what actions were taken to fulfill this requirement.

Friedemann explained that the Health Board has already previously stated that overloads can be reduced with improved coordination between hospitals and ambulance services, the flexible allocation of resources and, if necessary, directing patients to other hospitals to reduce overcrowding.

"In the longer term, the plan is to improve the overall preparedness of the healthcare system to prevent and resolve such situations," she added.

Asked if the Health Board is aware of specific cases where a delay led directly to the deterioration of a patient's condition, the official said no.

"However, any delay in providing emergency assistance is potentially dangerous, which is why it's crucial that all parties cooperate to ensure that patients receive prompt and adequate help," she acknowledged.

This Thursday, ambulances were once again backed up at the emergency room at PERH, with ambulance crews having to wait as long as two hours at peak times.

TEMS' operations were likewise significantly disrupted on August 13 as PERH's capacity to accept patients dropped. At the time, 30 percent of the capital city's ambulance resources were tied up for five hours by PERH's reduced capacity to accept patients.

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