Navigating Estonia’s Healthcare and Diagnosis

Ever since I moved to Estonia, I have developed a few chronic illnesses. I had and still have to deal with some unknown pain and discomfort because doctors are unable to diagnose them, or shall I say, don't care to diagnose them.

Hi, I'm Saina, and you're reading Sainaslife.

Disclaimer: This post reflects my personal experiences and opinions. It is not intended to represent facts about any specific individual or institution.

The Diagnosis Dilemma

I don't want to go into a lot of detail about my health, but what I can say is that visiting a GP in Estonia closely resembles a nightmare. First of all, as you know, I am still unemployed, and in Estonia, if you're not employed, you won't get any "free" healthcare. So I am paying for my own private insurance. Even though I'm paying out of pocket, when I visit a doctor in Estonia, they still try their best to minimise the burden on the government by refusing to provide necessary imaging or referrals to specialists.

Someone once used a couple of good phrases. She said that the healthcare system is not proactive, it is, in fact, reactive, meaning that the system and the doctors wait until it is absolutely detrimental for you before they do something. If you're not actively dying, you're good to go. And for someone with a chronic illness, that is nothing less than a nightmare.

The Decline in Quality of Life

In Estonia, the healthcare system does not care about your quality of life, it just wants to get rid of you as fast and as cheaply as possible. It is quite interesting, though, because you might think that doctors don't have time to scratch their heads here with the number of patients they get, but from what I've seen in Iran and Estonia, they seem much too relaxed when you visit them in their offices. In Iran, I used to see doctors running around hospitals, sweating and anxious. But here, I can sit for 45 minutes talking to a doctor, and I'm the only patient of the day. So it makes you think: what is the holdup in getting an appointment, waiting 12 hours in the hospital, or receiving the wrong diagnosis or no diagnosis at all each time?

My Take on This Issue

What I have noticed about diagnosis is that doctors first don't fully listen to what you have to say about your body or about the research that you've done on your own. It almost seems like they're egotistical and condescending when you try to help with your own diagnosis. They don't want you to diagnose yourself, but at the same time, they're unable to diagnose you either. So you're stuck with your chronic illness and are usually offered paracetamol or ibuprofen to hide your pain or discomfort so you stop bothering them.

One thing that really annoys me is their dependence on imaging and tests. You would have to go through hell and back to be handed imaging or a test, and after that, if your results show nothing, you are told to go home and wait for it to heal aka, in their minds, you're lying or imagining things. Almost every time, the imaging they use is the cheapest form of imaging regardless of your pain and symptoms. So naturally, the less accurate the imaging is, the less visibility they have, and that gives them the excuse to let you go.

The Despair and Hopelessness

Honestly, I have stopped going to my doctor. She doesn't care about my health or my quality of life. She hasn't been able to diagnose at least four chronic illnesses that I have, which I was able to narrow down myself through ChatGPT, Google, and asking others. She has also misdiagnosed me multiple times, which consequently ended up being life-threatening, and I had to visit specialists on my own dime to receive the right medication. Thankfully, I have trust issues, and I won't take any medication that a doctor gives me before I do all my research to make sure it is the right one. So I have myself to thank for saving my life and health by not using the wrong medication I was prescribed.

All in all, I might be alive, but my quality of life is low. And it is very sad to hear that almost all of Europe and many other parts of the world treat patients like their own children they hate. They don't believe you, they don't listen to you, they downplay your pain, and they outright disrespect your character if you try to self-advocate for your health.

Holding the System Accountable

Something has to be done to fix this passive, ineffective system that doesn't tolerate criticism, and I believe it starts with us confronting doctors and the system for their wrong or lack of diagnosis. They should be held liable if their wrongful diagnosis causes a patient's health to deteriorate or causes them to lose their life. For me, it is culturally very difficult to confront doctors, and I'm almost too shy to say something. I am fearful, and I don't even know why, but I have started to slowly but surely hold them accountable for their actions.

I really hope that the future of healthcare is going to be better, and I sincerely believe that AI will step in and solve a lot of issues with bureaucracy and human ego.

As always, see you in the next post,

Best wishes,

Saina.