ABSTRACT
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Estonia, like all Central and Eastern European countries, experienced great changes in its political and economic systems. One of the most comprehensive reforms in the Estonian health system focused on the strengthening of the primary healthcare system (PHC). However, attention has also been paid to quality improvement (QI) of healthcare services, and since the late 1990s, many regulations have been established at the national level to ensure quality and to protect patients' rights. The Estonian Society of Family Doctors (ESFD) has been a partner of the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) and the National Health Insurance Fund (EHIF) in the further development of the new PHC system, and the next stages of PHC reform—the formulation of tasks and objectives as well as drafts of new legislative acts—were developed in close collaboration. Patient perspectives on the success of the PHC reform have been evaluated since 1998.
