First Lady to return to medical school

  • 2013-08-15
  • From wire reports

TALLINN - Estonia’s first lady, Mrs. Evelin Ilves, has decided to go back to school to continue her medical studies and to achieve the possibility to practice as a doctor, reports Ohtuleht.

On Aug. 5, the Social Ministry’s project ‘Doctors Back to Healthcare’ started at Tartu University, where Ilves and 15 more people who have graduated from the Tartu University medical department years ago, but don’t work as doctors, will pass a 3-month intensive course, which will be followed by an exam and after that they can be included in the healthcare workers registry, which opens the door to residency that can last 3-5 years.

Currently, the future doctors work with 80 percent workload as trainees in a clinic in Tallinn or Tartu. Ohtuleht says that Mrs. Ilves chose emergency medicine and psychiatry as her fields of interest.

Mrs. Ilves graduated from the Tartu University medical department in 1993 but decided not to start residency, instead choosing a career in marketing and a Master’s degree studies in economics.

It isn’t known whether Mrs. Ilves intends to join residency after the current courses, as the president’s chancellery doesn’t comment upon her choices, explaining that it is her private life. They stress that Mrs.Ilves had considered the possibility of restoring her medical profession for years.

The PR manager of the President’s chancellery, Piret Pert, said that Mrs. Ilves will continue representing Estonia as the president’s wife at public events and domestic and foreign visits.

As the first lady, Mrs. Ilves has actively spoken on health topics and is Tallinn Children’s Hospital Support Foundation patron and an active advocate of healthy eating.