The Surgery Clinic – part of the North Estonia Medical Centre – provides high-grade treatment for both scheduled and emergency patients.
The Surgery Clinic was founded on the basis of the surgery departments of four hospitals (Mustamäe Hospital, Estonian Oncology Centre, Kivimäe Hospital and Keila Hospital), in the course of health care reform launched in 2001. In 2002, after the merger, there were 593 patient beds and a total of 17,502 operations were performed. As of 2014, there were a total 350 treatment beds in the Surgery Clinic.
The North Estonia Medical Centre (NEMC) currently boasts a cohesive team and high work ethic. The Mustamäe block provides inpatient care and outpatient appointments, while a day-patient surgery department is located at the Mustamäe block.
The Surgery Clinic includes eight centres, along with the various specialized polyclinics and a sterilization division.
General Surgery and Oncology Surgery Centre
- 1st surgery department – general and oncology surgery for the upper GI tract
- 2nd surgery department – general and oncology surgery for the lower GI tract
- 3rd surgery department – general and oncology skin and soft tissue surgery and bariatric surgery department
General and Oncology Urology Centre
- urology unit
- oncology urology unit
Cardio-thoracic Surgery Centre
- cardiac surgery department
- thoracic and blood vessel surgery department
- thoracic surgery and oncology thoracic surgery unit
- blood vessel surgery unit
Neurosurgery Centre
- neurosurgery department
- short-term surgery department
Gynaecology Diseases Centre
- oncology gynaecology unit
- mammology unit
- gynaecology unit
Orthopaedic Centre
- 1st orthopaedic centre – pelvic trauma and post-traumatic reconstructive surgery
- 2nd orthopaedic department
- burns unit
- septic orthopaedics unit
- 3rd orthopaedics department – joint implants
Head and Neck Surgery Centre
- faciomaxillary surgery unit
- ear nose and throat diseases unit
- head and neck oncological surgery centre
Operation Centre
- operating unit at Mustamäe block
- day-patient surgery department in Mustamäe block
Sterilization Division
- sterilization department
About surgery clinic
The Surgery Clinic's centres employ 773 qualified employees, of whom 139 are physicians. We staff the specialists with the finest knowledge and aptitude in their field.
The centres’ instruments and equipment, diagnostics and treatment all meet contemporary standards. In 2009, the new X-Block of the NEMC was completed, where the Surgery Clinic’s operating department and central sterilization department received facilities equipped with top of the line technology. Work began in February 2010.
The Mustamäe Block of the Surgery Clinic has 18 operating rooms and 318 beds. The Hiiu block’s day patient surgery department has 3 operation rooms and 20 day-patient treatment beds.
Treatments
The Surgery Clinic has the most experience and work volumes of any hospital treating cancer patients. The research firm Praxis conducted a study in 2009 which found that the NEMC performed 62.5% of all oncological operations done in Estonian regional hospitals.
Together with representatives of other fields, multimodal committees and treatment is administered (including oncology, systemic, radiotherapy, analgesic and palliative care). Oncological surgery develops organ-saving surgery and highly radical reconstructive surgery. New technologies we used include HIPEC chemotherapy, RFA, cryoablation and brachytherapy.
We have the most experience in Estonia in radical oncological operations performed by endoscopic means (colon, prostate etc).
Endovascular surgery and hybrid operations in the field of blood vessel surgery. Minimally invasive prosthetic implant operations coupled with fast-track postoperative patient care. The Mustamäe block houses the largest emergency medicine department and multiple trauma centre in Estonia.
At the head and neck surgery centre, we provide surgical care for craniosynostoses in young children. We perform various clinical drug studies at the Surgery Clinic as well.
Patients can register for appointments with a specialist and treatment as a paid patient outside the Estonian Health Insurance Fund waiting list. Patients from outside Estonia can also receive care. A private hospital room can be reserved for a fee.
In 2012, the Surgery Clinic treated 117 263 patients as polyclinic outpatients. 14 882 patients were hospitalized. In 2013, we performed 16,364 operations for inpatients, of whom 40% were emergency hospitalizations. Year on year, the number of operations has increased, as have operational activity and the percentage of day-patients, while the average wait for treatment has decreased.
The number of bariatric surgeries has increased. In 2013, there were 241 bariatric operations done in the 3rd surgery department of the general and oncological surgery centre. The Surgery Clinic is also responsible for implementation and spread of good clinical practices and new knowledge. We hold regular clinical conferences, seminars and discussions for the purpose of improving quality of our clinical specialized work.
Cooperations
The clinic is an internship base for the University of Tartu, Tallinn University of Technology and Tallinn Health Care College. Each year, residents and university interns acquire qualifications at our clinic. In 2012, there were 45 residents at the clinic.
The Surgery Clinic puts a premium on cooperation with family doctors, other health care institutions and universities. The doctors and nurses at the clinic engage in active health care research both at universities (Tallinn University of Technology, the University of Tartu and the University of Oulu) as well as with other development institutions. Good cooperation is also in place with county hospitals, where our specialists offer appointments, work shifts and provide consultations (Narva, Kohtla-Järve, Rakvere, Haapsalu, Paide, Tallinn Children’s Hospital) - essentially, we have created a hospital network.
