Non-study info
Wellbeing, health and illness
If due to a health condition you have been using prescription medication at your home country and now while in Tartu need to renew the supply sooner or later, please first check if the same medicine is a prescription or a non-prescription drug here in Estonian pharmacies.
To buy a prescription drug (retseptiravim) from the drugstore (apteek), you need to present your ID and hand in the prescription (retsept). You can acquire a prescription (digital or printed) from the general practitioner (GP), in Estonia referred to as family doctor (perearst) or from an internal medicine and/or other specialized physician (eriarst).
Most visits to eriarst require a prior visit to and referral (saatekiri) by perearst. To be able to visit either your perearst or eriarst you would need to book an appointment in the reception on the spot or by phone. For the doctor's appointment, make sure to arrive on time or even 5...10 minutes before the appointment time. It is expected that you call in advance to cancel the appointment if it turns out that you cannot make it at that time.
Seek to find out if the medical doctor that you plan to visit speaks English. Foreign language skill is not a requirement so it can happen that you need to agree to bring along a translator with you for the visit.
Submitting a written application is required to become a member of the patients list (perearsti nimistu) of a family doctor. Also, the doctor must agree to accept your application (sometimes list is full, etc). The working language of a few family doctors is known to be English.
Having health insurance (ravikindlustus or haigekassa) is beneficial when visiting a medical doctor. However, you would need to cover dental care (hambaravi) expenses even with health insurance.
It is possible to take academic leave (not retrospectively) for health reasons, based on doctor's note (with precise dates but without diagnosis) along with your corresponding written application. SEBA office in Delta room 4002 can advise you about the paperwork requirements and details. Please consult UT Study Abroad Centre regarding conditions for visa and temporary residence permits (TRP), if necessary.
Please arrange your healthcare preparations and seek information while still healthy. Stay healthy and well!
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Page last reviewed 11.12.2020