The War and Disaster Medicine Centre opened in Tartu
Today, the Estonian Centre for Defence Investment (RKIK) opened a modern War and Disaster Medicine Centre at the Raadi military campus, where members of the Defence Forces, reserve medics, and medical students will receive training. In addition to training, the centre — as the newest and most modern health centre in Southern Estonia — will also provide significantly expanded healthcare services to Defence Forces personnel.
According to Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur, the new War and Disaster Medicine Centre is an excellent example of infrastructure that takes training to a new level. “The drone training centre opened in Nurmsi this spring showed how much modern infrastructure can enhance training for both our own forces and our allies. The Estonian Military Academy also received a major boost recently with its new building in Raadi. But in addition to combat capabilities, we equally need to develop supporting capacities. Therefore, the completion of the War and Disaster Medicine Centre marks a crucial milestone in military medical training. The new health centre located in the same complex will also help ensure a health-supportive environment for our soldiers,” Pevkur emphasized.
Previously, war and disaster medicine training took place in a container village in Raadi, doctor and nurse consultations were held in cramped rooms of the main building, rehabilitation was organized at Seli Manor, and pharmacy storage was located in deteriorated facilities.
“We are glad that the War and Disaster Medicine Centre — featuring the largest simulation hall in the Baltics — is finally complete and that all related training has now been brought under one roof,” said Peeter Karja, Southern Portfolio Manager at the Centre for Defence Investment, during the opening ceremony.
The new centre also includes a much larger health centre with expanded capabilities, providing both general and specialist medical services. Facilities are also available for supporting healthcare activities such as stress testing and physiotherapy. The aim of the centre is to offer Defence Forces personnel modern, needs-based, and comprehensive healthcare. The building includes accommodation for 36 rehabilitation patients.
The new four-story Raadi training building, with a net area of nearly 8,000 square meters, will also house a large auditorium and a catering complex for the Military Academy and the Baltic Defence College, as well as the largest simulation hall in the Baltics, equipped for realistic training with smoke, sound, water, and various lighting effects.
Dr. Neve Vendt, Head of the War and Disaster Medicine Centre, noted that they had long awaited the new facility: “We have carefully considered every detail — from blueprints to walls, colors, and furniture — to ensure suitability and functionality for teaching students, conscripts, and Defence Forces personnel, as well as for larger exercises in cooperation with the civilian healthcare sector,” Vendt added.
The War and Disaster Medicine course is a compulsory subject for both nursing and medical students, and an elective for emergency medical technicians and other healthcare students. Its broader goal is to ensure that all healthcare professionals acquire a solid foundation of defence medicine knowledge and to train future specialists for the Defence Forces in both peacetime and wartime. The centre expects to train around 3,000 students per year.
According to Tartu Mayor Urmas Klaas, Tartu is the most suitable location for this centre:
“This is where the heart of Estonian medical education lies — the University of Tartu Hospital is Estonia’s only teaching hospital, and Tartu also concentrates the country’s military education. All of this creates an excellent opportunity for close and meaningful cooperation.”
The building was constructed by Embach Ehitus OÜ and OÜ NOBE, acting as joint contractors from the Nordecon AS group. Andres Salusaar, Member of the Board of Embach Ehitus OÜ, expressed satisfaction that the company has had the opportunity to partner with RKIK on three of the largest projects at the Raadi military campus — the Military Academy’s administrative and training building and the War and Disaster Medicine Centre — contributing thereby to the enhancement of national defence capabilities.
“Thanks to good cooperation with a professional client and building users, a modern and functional building meeting the expectations of the War and Disaster Medicine Centre was completed without delays,” Salusaar added.