While hopes of EU funding remain, some politicians doubt the financial feasibility of the long talked-about project.

A previous project, which did not get beyond planning stage, was scrapped by the state in 2022 while Tallinn city government was still dominated by the Center Party. Since then, a Reform-SDE-Eesti 200-Isamaa rainbow coalition has entered office in the capital, though its major players do not always see eye-to-eye.

Isamaa MP and Tallinn councilor Riina Solman told "Aktuaalne kaamera:" "It comes to my memory that when the Reform Party itself took away funding from Tallinn Hospital in 2022, that Reform Party was saying that it is actually good for hospitals in Tallinn to be dispersed, for instance, in the case of an emergency that might hit us."

"Now they have moved forward with the hospital project, but not with two fewer floors, but on a smaller scale. There is no €800 million funding available," Solman went on.

One sticking point with the previous project was that its design had too many storeys.

Under the plan for Tallinn, four hospitals, including the East Tallinn (ITKH) and West Tallinn (LTKH) central hospitals would merge into a single entity. with campuses in the major residential districts of Mustamäe and Lasnamäe.

Health Minister Riina Sikkut (SDE) said: "In addition to the fact that, just as there are health centers now, there is one next to the Magdaleena hospital, one in Mustamäe, and one in Haabersti for primary care; family doctors, family nurses, and diagnostics are close to home," adding that this would continue to be the case.

While more specialized services will be centralized, county hospitals will not be closed.

The Riigikogu committee's chair, Madis Timpson (Reform), seemed unconvinced, telling "Aktuaalne kaamera": "If we take a look at the population distribution, let us face it, more and more people are moving to Harju County, there's no denying it. [And] Where there are more people, there is a greater need for healthcare," he went on.

Sikkut recently told the Riigikogu Social Affairs Committee that, nationwide, hospitals in the smaller towns will remain open and with 24/7 ER facilities.

"Growth is needed primarily in the areas of mental health, palliative care, and nursing care. These are the areas where we are currently unable to provide the volume of services that people need," Sikkut told "Aktuaalne kaamera."

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