Estonian Doctors Concerned That Russian Is Becoming the Working Language in Medicine 0 11

“The official language of the Republic of Estonia is Estonian. Its use in public institutions and professional communication follows from the law and should be natural and self-evident. Healthcare is a field where clear and unambiguous communication is crucial for patient safety and the quality of treatment. Furthermore, it ensures a safer, more favorable, inclusive, and effective working environment,” the statement reads.

“In recent years, a language barrier has emerged among healthcare workers, as Russian is used in the working environment while performing official duties, which is not understood by all young medical professionals and students. Such practice can affect both the organization of labor and the working environment, as well as the quality of care provided to patients,” the medical professionals note.

“In healthcare, a significant portion of critically important information exchange occurs verbally: discussing a patient’s condition, handing over shifts, coordinating treatment plans, and everyday work organization. If this communication takes place in a language not spoken by all participants, important information may not be conveyed or may be misunderstood. As a result, the risk of medical errors and misunderstandings increases, which can threaten patient safety,” the statement says.

Moreover, the language barrier significantly impacts the working environment. “Healthcare is inherently a high-stress field where cohesive teamwork and mutual trust are absolutely necessary. If part of the staff is sidelined from collective communication due to language, it can create tension, reduce the sense of belonging to the team, and affect employee satisfaction and their desire to remain in the profession,” the signatories believe.

“In Estonia, higher education in healthcare is obtained in Estonian. The language law also sets requirements for proficiency in Estonian for healthcare workers. A regulation issued under part 4 of article 23 of the Language Law states that care workers must have at least a B1 level of Estonian, midwives and nurses must have a B2 level, and doctors must have a C1 level (Riigi Teataja, 2011). Therefore, it is quite reasonable to expect that professional communication in medical institutions in Estonia will take place in Estonian,” the statement reads.

“It is important to emphasize that this position primarily concerns professional communication — the transmission of patient-related information, work organization, and professional communication among colleagues,” the medical professionals underline.

The Estonian Medical Students' Society, the Estonian Young Doctors' Association, the Estonian Medical Association, and the Estonian Nurses' Union (EÕL) advocate for Estonian to be the working language in medical institutions in Estonia, as professional communication should be understandable to all colleagues. Eliminating the language barrier contributes to creating a safer, more favorable, inclusive, and effective working environment. A unified working language ensures standards for patient safety and quality of care.

“We urge medical institutions, professional organizations, educational institutions, and other stakeholders in this field to form a clear position in support of using the Estonian language in professional communication; to raise awareness in their institutions and organizations about the legal language requirements; to ensure that job postings in the healthcare sector do not make foreign language proficiency mandatory, and that the necessary level of Estonian language proficiency is assessed during hiring; and to find resources and ongoing support for developing Estonian language skills among workers at all levels in case their knowledge is insufficient for performing their duties,” the statement reads.