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Home›Countries›Country guide›Estonia
Baltic states

Estonia

Local foods, food-safety habits, hospital daily life, travel during treatment, the health system, language and emergency numbers from reliable sources.

Emergency numbers

  • 112Single number

Source: GOV.UK — Estonia

Talk to your doctor

If life is at risk, call the local emergency number straight away. If you develop a fever or bleeding during treatment, also call your haematology team’s 24-hour line (if you have one).

Language

Estonian; Russian and English are also used

Keep a translation of your diagnosis, treatment plan and medication list in this language or in English. Many hospitals offer interpreters — ask in advance.

Health system overview

There is a public health system for insured residents. People insured in another EU/EEA country can get medically necessary state healthcare during a temporary stay with a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC); it does not replace travel insurance or cover planned treatment. Visitors from outside the EU need full travel insurance.

Leukemia care: centres

Estonia

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Main centres
  • Tartu University Hospital, Tartu
  • North Estonia Medical Centre, Tallinn (hematology centre)

Transplant: Tartu University Hospital is the only place in Estonia that performs allogeneic transplants and transplants in children; by 2023 it had done 400 autologous and 349 allogeneic transplants.

Good to know: The Tallinn centre refers patients who need a donor transplant to Tartu or to Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm.

More about centres in all countries →

Local foods

  • Well-cooked hot dishEstoniaMulgipuder (potato and barley mash)Well-cooked hot dish
  • Well-cooked hot dishEstoniaVerivorst (blood sausage)Well-cooked hot dish
  • Well-cooked hot dishEstoniaMulgikapsad (sauerkraut stewed with barley and pork)Well-cooked hot dish
  • With care: in a safer versionEstoniaKama (roasted grain flour with kefir)With care: in a safer version
  • Not in its traditional form with low immunityEstoniaKiluvõileib (spiced sprat sandwich)Not in its traditional form with low immunity

Estonia: food database →

Food-safety habits

Wherever you live, the core rules with low immunity are the same: clean hands, keeping raw and cooked food apart, cooking thoroughly, chilling quickly and choosing pasteurised dairy. At local markets and street stalls, watch how food is stored. Ask your team whether tap water is fine for you; if unsure, use bottled or boiled water.

Hospital daily life

In these countries daily care is usually provided by nurses, meals come from the hospital kitchen and visiting hours are set. If you want to bring food from home, ask the ward first. An interpreter can often be booked in advance.

Travel during treatment

  • Talk to your care team before planning a trip — timing, blood counts and vaccines.
  • Carry a doctor’s letter with your diagnosis, treatment plan and medication list (including in English).
  • Pack medicines in original packaging, in hand luggage, with extra; some medicines have import rules.
  • Get travel insurance that covers your existing condition and read the terms.
  • Find the nearest haematology centre and the emergency number at your destination in advance.
  • Live vaccines can be unsafe during treatment — ask your team before any vaccination.
  • Ask your team about clot risk on long flights and move around when you can.

For people insured in another EU/EEA country, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) covers medically necessary state healthcare during a temporary stay; it does not replace travel insurance or planned treatment.

Related topics

  • Leukemia care in different countries: an overview
  • Food safety
  • Fever: when to seek urgent care
  • Visitors and public places
  • Work, study and finances
  • Step-by-step guide: from diagnosis to follow-up

Sources

  1. GOV.UK — Estonia
  2. GOV.UK — health: Estonia
  3. European Commission — European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
  4. GOV.UK — foreign travel advice (emergency numbers and health)
  5. European Commission — European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
Medical disclaimerThis information is for educational purposes only and does not replace medical advice.

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