The Latvian Union of Healthcare and Social Care Workers (Latvijas Veselības un sociālās aprūpes darbinieku arodbiedrība - LVSADA) expresses satisfaction with the recommendation of the President of the State, Edgars Rinkēvičs, addressed to Prime Minister Evika Siliņa, to pay more attention not only to security issues but also to strengthening the healthcare system, which urgently needs improvement.
However, the union points out that unfortunately, the budget draft does not provide for significant additional funding for healthcare, so its share of GDP will not increase, but rather decrease. This violates the "Main Directions of Public Health for 2021–2027." According to calculations by the Ministry of Health, the difference between what is provided for in these guidelines and the actual funding allocated by the government is about 650 million euros. As a result, the availability and quality of medical care will not improve next year but will worsen.
The union also reminds that to strengthen the competitiveness, resilience, and social justice of the country, the European Commission recommended Latvia to:
- ensure that state funding covers the growing needs not only in defense but also in healthcare and social protection;
- strengthen the resilience and accessibility of the healthcare system, including through additional human and financial resources.
In the opinion of doctors, the Latvian government is ignoring these important recommendations and is essentially planning to "starve" the healthcare system. Thus, the draft state budget for 2026 developed by the Cabinet of Ministers will lead to the opposite result — it will reduce the country's competitiveness, harm its sustainable development, and undermine social justice. "Such a budget draft cannot be approved," the doctors conclude.
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