New service promises faster doctor appointments — is it a scam?

Long waiting lists for specialist appointments are a chronic problem in Estonia, with patients often having to manually refresh the Health Portal for weeks. A private initiative is now filling this gap by offering rapid appointment booking as a paid service. The question is whether such a business model is legal.

Long waiting lists for specialist doctors have become a chronic problem in Estonia — patients often have to manually refresh the state Health Portal for weeks to find an available slot. A private initiative is now moving to fill this market gap, offering a paid service for rapid doctor appointment booking.

How the service works

The service automates monitoring of the Health Portal and alerts the user immediately when a suitable slot becomes available. The aim is to eliminate the tedious manual work that many patients currently have to do themselves in order to see a doctor in a timely manner. The service requires payment, meaning that only those with sufficient funds can pay for faster access to healthcare services.

Legality in question

Such a business model raises several questions. First, is automated use of the Health Portal in line with the portal's terms of use? Second, does the service create an unequal situation where wealthier patients can see a doctor faster than others? The Estonian healthcare system is based on general principles of equal access, so such a solution may create ethical and legal conflicts.

At the same time, the service has not made seeing a doctor more expensive — it simply accelerates the process of finding an available slot. Critics argue, however, that the proper solution to the system's problems would be to improve the state Health Portal itself, rather than create paid add-on services for it. The position of the Health Board and other relevant authorities on the question of the service's legality remains unclear.