For more than 20 years, the Estonian Health Insurance Fund (EHIF) has conducted annual surveys on the population's assessment of health services and the health system. These surveys are an important tool for measuring the public’s perception of the health system organization and satisfaction with the access to and quality of various types of services provided. The latest survey, conducted in December 2023, included responses from 1,263 people over the age of 15. It found that 63% of the population is satisfied with the health care system, which is similar to the pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Interestingly, despite service disruptions, satisfaction peaked at 73% in 2020, indicating public acknowledgement of the health system’s efforts to overcome these challenges.
The Estonian population is least satisfied with access to care – only 54% of the population considers it good or rather good, down from 62% in 2020. Although about 80% of respondents were satisfied with their last visit to a family doctor, there is an increasing concern about the accessibility of primary care services. Satisfaction in this area fell to 76%, the lowest level in six years. The survey also covers other areas such as specialist care, prescription medicines, emergency care, digital solutions, and health insurance organization.