RRF helps strengthen Estonia's healthcare, social protection

TALLINN - At an annual meeting on Tuesday, an overview was provided of the state of play of the implementation of the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) in Estonia and the European Union as a whole.

The purpose of the facility is to support investments and reforms that contribute to the long-term recovery of the economy, increase the resilience of the member states and promote the green and digital transitions.

"We have been able to invest this money at the necessary moment in supporting Estonia's competitiveness, energy security and digital development in both the public and private sectors, as well as in improving the quality of health services," Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi said, noting that a modern healthcare center is being completed in the southern county town of Viljandi with the support of the RRF.

The project involves the construction of a modern healthcare campus that combines the services of the county hospital and regional health center. In addition, the improvement in the quality and accessibility of healthcare services for residents of Viljandi County and the surrounding rural municipalities should have a positive impact on employment in the long term.

Minister of Health Riina Sikkut pointed out in the same press release that Tervikum is the first new county hospital building built in Estonia since the country regained its independence. In addition to the campus in Viljandi, the projects financed from the RRF include other healthcare and social sector measures, such as strengthening primary healthcare, training healthcare professionals, and the digitalization of healthcare services.

"Although there's still about a year and a half left until the deadline for Estonia's recovery and resilience plan, the current results already show that this financial instrument has been effective in increasing Estonia's resilience to crises and accelerating recovery," Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo said.

According to the minister, the reforms overseen by the Ministry of Social Affairs help to increase the accessibility and sustainability of social and health services and support the management of changes related to an aging society and population decline.

The Viljandi Tervikum project costs an estimated at 104 million euros, of which 72 million euros is provided by the RRF. The remaining 32 million euros is the hospital's own funds and other grants. The completion of the project is slated for 2025.

A total of 953 million euros has been approved in RRF grants for Estonia, of which 505 million euros has already been paid out. To receive the remaining funds, the reforms and investments outlined in the recovery plan must be fully implemented and on time. The next payment request is currently being prepared and will be submitted to the European Commission in December of this year. The next payment, amounting to 122 million euros, is expected in early 2025.