Baltic states to bolster healthcare crisis readiness

TALLINN - The health ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania signed a joint declaration in Vilnius on Tuesday, aimed at bolstering the resilience of the Baltic states' healthcare systems during crises.

Cooperation will be strengthened in the areas of healthcare system planning, organizing regional medical training and exercises, and developing medical supplies and reserves.

According to Minister of Social Affairs Karmen Joller, the healthcare systems of the Baltic states are robust in everyday situations, but a large-scale crisis would quickly highlight the need for closer regional cooperation.

"The Baltic states are already good partners, but good will is not enough in a crisis. Russia's war against Ukraine has changed Europe's security environment and has shown the critical role healthcare plays in large-scale crises and armed conflicts. A large proportion of casualties may need assistance in civilian hospitals, which is why healthcare systems must be prepared for an increased treatment load, supply chain disruptions, cyberattacks, and the redistribution of patients between countries," Joller said.

The Baltic states plan to deepen cooperation in three main areas. Firstly, they aim to improve joint crisis planning for healthcare systems, including the coordination of hospital networks, sharing information on patient flows and critical resources, cross-border cooperation in emergency medicine, and cybersecurity.

Secondly, the plan includes more joint training sessions, practical exercises, and simulations for doctors, nurses, paramedics, and healthcare managers.

Thirdly, they seek to develop a more coordinated approach to planning the stocks of medicines, medical devices, blood components, surgical supplies, and resources needed for intensive care.

"In healthcare, the most limited resources are often personnel and the capacity for specialized medical care. This is precisely why we need to know where our common strengths lie and how to quickly support each other when needed," Joller added.

The declaration builds upon existing cooperation among the Baltic states, including the mutual assistance memorandum for health crisis management signed in 2024, and the 2025 memorandum concerning the security of supply for blood, blood components, equipment, and materials.

The new declaration is not legally binding and does not create obligations for the ministries of defense, but it provides a clear political direction for the health sector to strengthen practical cooperation.

The declaration was signed during the high-level Resilient Medicine conference in Vilnius.

The 20th Baltic Policy Dialogue, focusing on long-term care, is also taking place in Vilnius today. At the meeting, the health ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, together with the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (OBS), are discussing how to support healthy aging, improve the quality and innovation of long-term care, and ensure a sustainable pipeline of healthcare and care workers.

Estonia's message at the Baltic Policy Dialogue is that with an aging population, simply adding more nursing home beds is not enough. It is crucial to focus on prevention, support independent living, strengthen home- and community-based services, and better integrate health and social services to ensure that people receive the right help at the right time and to reduce the care burden on families.