Family doctors receive their income from the Health Insurance Fund. Some family doctors pay out large dividends, which can be up to nearly a million euros. For example, the Pärnu Ristiku family doctor center paid out nearly 900,000 euros in dividends.
The Narva family doctor center paid out nearly 810,000 euros in dividends. Valentina Mišenkova, the owner of the family doctor center, says that they save money because the premises belong to them and maintenance costs are low.
The head of the Family Doctors' Association, Elle-Mall Sadrak, says that paying dividends requires cuts and optimization. Some family doctors pay high salaries, while others give bonuses in the form of dividends.
Family doctors receive additional money if they participate in drug trials or perform procedures that are usually done in hospitals. According to Sadrak, the Health Insurance Fund supports this because the cost of treatment is lower in family doctor centers than in hospitals.
Anu Valli, the chief specialist of the Health Insurance Fund's family doctor service, says that the Health Insurance Fund does not monitor the income of family doctors. They do not interfere with how family doctors pay dividends or salaries. The Health Insurance Fund is reviewing the funding model to improve it.