Head of Nursing Ülle Rohi named Tallinn Citizen of the Year

The winner of the Citizen of the Year competition held by the City of Tallinn was announced during Tallinn City Council’s session, and this year, the title went to Ülle Rohi, Head of Nursing at East Tallinn Central Hospital. In addition to the honorary title, the Citizen of the Year was awarded a glass souvenir made by designer Riho Luus, the base of which incorporates a piece of the nearly 300-year-old copper roof of St Mary’s Cathedral in Tallinn.

The organisation that nominated Ülle Rohi gave the following reasons.“Ülle Rohi has been the Head of Nursing at East Tallinn Central Hospital for nearly 20 years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has helped organise the vaccination of the population and managed the work of vaccination centres, including as a vaccinator herself. In addition to having years of experience and possessing excellent leadership skills, she has the caring hands of a nurse and an abundance of empathy. She is a wonderful teacher and guide, lecturing students and supervising their internships.”

The reasoning further highlighted that as Head of Nursing, Ülle Rohi has created an excellent working environment, supporting and motivating all her colleagues to do their very best. “She is open-minded, dares to take on new challenges and stands her ground even in critical moments to always guard the welfare of patients and the rights and opportunities of colleagues. Thanks to her initiative and leadership, several professional developments have taken place in Estonia – independent nurse’s appointments now have legislative support. She is a member of the working group for the Estonian development strategy on nursing and midwifery 2021-2030, a member of the management board of the Estonian Nurse Directors Association and Vice-chairman of the board of advisors of Tallinn Health Care College.”

According to Jevgeni Ossinovski, Chairman of Tallinn City Council, it was symbolic that this year’s Citizen of the Year selection committee met on Citizen’s Day on 26 November. “Healthcare professionals have seen the greatest stress levels during the coronavirus crisis, which is why we wanted the City of Tallinn to focus on the superhuman efforts of our nurses, doctors and carers this year. The public usually learns about doctors and hospital managers in this context, but it is nurses who really serve on the frontline here. It is no exaggeration to say that Ülle Rohi’s contribution in the fight against the coronavirus is invaluable,” said Ossinovski.

Tallinn City Council has held the competition for choosing Tallinn Citizen of the Year since 2018. Nominations for candidates are accepted during the month of October. The selection was made by a committee consisting of representatives of all the political groups represented in the city council.