The Chamber once again turned to the Ministry of Social Affairs to address the problem of access to occupational health doctors

The Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ECCI) once again drew the Ministry of Social Affairs' attention to the issue of accessibility to occupational health doctors and proposed that family doctors be allowed to provide occupational health services in environments with lower risk factors, such as office work.

The Chamber has previously pointed out that the shortage of occupational health doctors has persisted for years. In fact, the number of occupational health doctors in Estonia has not increased in the last five years. This issue primarily affects smaller and more remote regions, such as Hiiumaa, where employers have found themselves in a difficult situation, negatively impacting both the well-being and health of employees as well as company efficiency.

One potential solution to the problem is to amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act so that employers could, in certain cases—such as office work—send their employees for a health check-up with a family doctor. In situations where the job involves typical, smaller risk factors associated with office work, family doctors should also be able to conduct occupational health examinations and provide relevant recommendations, as they are familiar with the employee’s health history and behavior.

If it turns out that the employee requires more thorough analyses, the family doctor can refer them to an occupational health doctor or another specialist. Involving family doctors would be an option, not a requirement, and could be applied in work environments with lower risk levels.

Such a change would reduce the burden on employers and improve the accessibility of health checks for employees, particularly in regions where occupational health doctors are scarce. Additionally, the workload of occupational health doctors has significantly increased in recent years, as amendments to the law that came into force in 2023 added new requirements to their duties, including the obligation to visit the workplace and analyze the company's overall occupational health situation.