Estonia drafts conflicting bills to tighten court-controlled access to health data

Estonia intends to require a court order before any authority can retrieve personal health information without the individual's consent, but the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs and the Ministry of Social Affairs have each drafted competing bills. The Joller bill, named after Social Affairs Minister Karmen Joller, would combine the prescription, treatment-billing, and national health information databases but leaves the consent question vague.

In contrast, the Pakosta bill outlines specific conditions under which officials may access health records, effectively narrowing permissible use. Attorney Carri Ginter cautioned that approving both measures would create contradictory regimes - one granting broad access, the other imposing tight limits. Law-enforcement leaders, including Roger Kumm of the Police and Border Guard Board, support clearer guidelines, especially for criminal and traffic-collision investigations. The director of the Health and Welfare Information Systems Center, Margus Arm, also said the agency will follow any new safeguards, noting that citizens can already view their own data via one outlet Health Portal.