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Patient records in Estonia are digitised and secured by the Blockchain, providing a single immutable data source for healthcare professionals. With a unique digital platform and collaborative ecosystem, Estonia is positioned to lead on preventative medicine, patient self-treatment and industry efficiency.
| World leader in application of government e-Health services and solutions. | |
| Active collaboration between academia, industry, government and IT sector. | |
| Infrastructure, skills and government policy conducive to R&D. | |
| Clear legal principles on data ownership and protection. | |
| Proven benefits for all stakeholders from application of e-Health technologies. |
Backed by a long history of medical and technological experience, Estonia is well-prepared to lead the global HealthTech industry in the coming years. The country’s favourable ecosystem, including strong governmental support, an innovative mindset, a skilled workforce, and supportive infrastructure, makes Estonia an emerging hub for HealthTech solutions.
Estonian efforts in HealthTech are driven by the aim to improve healthcare all over the world by using Estonian advantages for research, digitalisation, innovation and piloting. Estonia’s e-Health journey began in 2008 when it conceived and built its state healthcare information system. Initially delivering patient data online, the system has since scaled to include new services, integrate private sector partners and Blockchain technology for system access and data integrity.
Today 99% of data generated by doctors and hospitals is digitised. Unified health records, including x-rays, are available countrywide and prescriptions collectable on-demand utilising electronic ID. Patients, who own and can view their data at all times, benefit from convenience and trust; healthcare professionals are empowered to make informed decisions, and the state saves significant resources.
Government is one element of a wider e-Health ecosystem. In academia, where Estonia ranks number 3 globally for the teaching of science, several universities and hospitals support research, clinical trials and applied care. Cluster organisations exist for connected health and cell therapy, Estonia being one of the few countries in the world possessing a genome database.
Connected Health, founded by the Science Park Tehnopol, is a country-wide partnership between health-related stakeholders in Estonia, who are committed to accelerating the adoption of connected health solutions, on an international scale and on commercial terms. The cluster brings together 80+ partners, including 43 companies, R&D partners (universities and technology competence centres), health and wellness service providers, patient organisations and user communities, and the public sector (ministries responsible for healthcare and entrepreneurship, national health insurance, and the national health development agency).
In the future, Estonia’s ability to combine multiple disciplines and technologies, supported by enabling infrastructure and policy-making, will significantly increase R&D in areas such as genetics, biotechnology and patient self-treatment. There are two universities of applied sciences, which are related to R&D activities in the field, eight research centres, including centres of excellence and more than 170 research projects ongoing.
With world-class expertise and an advanced platform within the EU regulatory framework, Estonia is the ideal location to research, develop and manage e-Health solutions.
Estonia has a collaborative healthcare cluster spanning government, academia, competence centres, production and IT companies.
A pioneer in e-health, 99% of health data has been digitised since 2015, and 97% of hospital discharge letters are sent to the central database. A person’s unified health record and x-rays are available on-demand throughout Estonia, allowing health professionals to make informed decisions. Blockchain technology assures system integrity while patients access their data and prescriptions using Estonia’s secure e-ID solutions.
Estonia has an active biotech cluster comprising over 70 companies that, in conjunction with the University of Tartu, research, clinically test and develop innovative science. Areas of expertise include genetics, molecular- and biomarker-based testing.
The Estonian Genome Center has established the Estonian Biobank with already more than 200,000 genotyped individuals, reflecting the age, sex, and geographical distribution of the adult Estonian population. This data will be used in personalized medicine, where genome data and health data collected in the health information system will be combined in order to offer specific diagnoses and treatments. As one of Europe’s most successful population-based biobanks, joined by 20% of Estonian adults, the Estonian Biobank is a welcome partner in international research projects worldwide.
Estonian healthcare startups such as Migrevention are already using a personalised medicine approach. After years of research and laboratory testing, the Estonian BioTech sector has grown steadily following the success of personalised medicine. For example, the Estonian HealthTech startup Antegenes has developed novel genetic tests that can assess an individual’s risk for four types of cancer and Nanordica Medical has invented and patented a nanotechnology-based “magic dust” that provides eight times more effective treatment of infected wounds than standard care.
Success stories in the Estonian e-Health sector include:
GPE GlobalPharma, Kevelt, Magnum Medical, Tamro, Roche, Cambrex, Icosagen, Quretec, Medisoft, Estonian Genome Centre, Migrevention, Viveo Health, Antegenes, Nanordica Medical, etc.
These websites can be useful when interested in e-Health in Estonia:
You are also welcome to send us a request for personal e-consulting to obtain more specific information.
Estonia is a cashless society with over 99% of financial transactions occurring digitally. Electronic ID and Blockchain are widely used in FinTech applications. 80+ FinTechs ranging from innovative startups such as Wise to Blockchain leader Guardtime make Estonia a global centre of excellence for FinTech.
Estonia is not only a pioneering digital society, which has found convincing answers to the challenges of digitalization, but it also is a very green country. There is a strong societal and political will to utilize the capabilities and ecosystems. These have been developed to tackle the challenges of decarbonization of the economy and to become once again a leading player – in CleanTech and GreenTech.
Defence has always been a focal point for Estonia. The country's capable defence forces consist of a professional army, reserve forces, and national defence league, complemented by NATO allied forces. Technology entrepreneurs and engineers have teamed up with the army to develop world-class solutions for the global defence industry. When we say defence, we mean business.
Estonia developed X-Road, its proprietary decentralised, distributed system in 2001 and has utilised Blockchain since 2008. World-class technical skills supported by practical experience implementing public and permissioned Blockchain’s place Estonia at the forefront of the emerging Blockchain economy.
Patient records in Estonia are digitised and secured by the Blockchain, providing a single immutable data source for healthcare professionals. With a unique digital platform and collaborative ecosystem, Estonia is positioned to lead on preventative medicine, patient self-treatment and industry efficiency.
What is it like to run a business in Estonia? How to benefit from the e-solutions and the efficiency of our business culture? What are the opportunities in specific sectors? Who to partner up with?
The Estonian Investment Agency’s team is happy to help you via its complimentary e-Consulting service, organize online or offline follow-up events such as virtual investment visits and guide you through the fairly simple process of investing in Estonia.
