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Tartu Scraps Youth ER Fee, Exposing Coalition Cracks
The Tartu City Council has rejected a controversial proposal to charge a five-euro fee for emergency room visits for individuals under 19, after an opposition amendment passed 18-15, revealing significant fractures within the city's ruling Reform-Isamaa coalition.
- —Tartu City Council voted against a proposal to introduce a €5 fee for children and youth under 19 visiting the Tartu University Hospital's emergency department, maintaining the service as free for this age group.
- —The Social Democratic Party's amendment to remove the fee, initially drafted by the Reform-Isamaa coalition, passed with 18 votes in favor and 15 against.
- —The decision was framed by proponents as a principled stance on child safety, healthcare access, and social justice, emphasizing that financial barriers should not deter families from seeking urgent medical care.
- —Opposition members questioned the stability of the ruling coalition following the vote, with one council member noting that a significant number of coalition deputies did not vote against the opposition's initiative.
- —The proposed fee was part of a revision to the City of Tartu's healthcare cost reimbursement policy, with coalition members arguing that taxpayers should not subsidize visits for others and that most parents could afford the small fee.
Recap
The vote to maintain free emergency care for minors in Tartu is a political setback for the city's ruling coalition, revealing internal dissent and empowering the opposition. This decision prioritizes social welfare principles over fiscal savings, signaling potential instability in the local government's ability to push through its agenda.