Starting November 20 of this year, a new system for scheduling appointments with doctors and specialists will be introduced in Latvia: a complete transition to electronic referrals instead of paper ones. Plus, the principle of "one referral – one appointment."
Explanation from the Ministry of Health
This is all being done to "reduce the number of duplicate appointments with specialists that patients do not attend, thereby creating long queues due to uncancelled visits. Currently, the share of missed appointments in Latvia is 15-20%, which significantly affects the availability of services and the workload of medical institutions."
The National Health Service (NVD) expresses hope: "All necessary referrals to doctors will be able to be quickly and conveniently issued on the portal eveseliba.gov.lv."
It should be noted that patients who have previously fallen victim to 'freezing' and other malfunctions in the eveseliba system maintain a healthy skepticism regarding these innovations.
How It Should Work
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An electronic referral will be required for consultations with specialists, conducting diagnostic studies, providing home medical care, as well as for receiving other outpatient, day, and other services.
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The transitional period will be from November 20, 2025, to May 4, 2026. Information about previously issued electronic referrals (from January 1, 2024) will be transferred to the new system, so they will remain valid if necessary. Previously issued paper referrals will also remain valid.
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To receive a medical service after the end of the transitional period on May 5, 2026, all previously issued paper referrals will need to be "digitized" – data from them will have to be entered into the system manually by doctors.
Therefore, the Ministry of Health already recommends issuing electronic referrals whenever possible to avoid overloading both the staff and the system.
- Any registration office of the medical institution that the patient approaches will be able to perform the "digitization" of paper referrals.
Instructions for Patients
1. The doctor issues an electronic referral.
It can be obtained for all medical services "by quotas" and paid services. The exception is referrals for laboratory tests, where a gradual transition to the new format is currently taking place.
2. The patient schedules the service.
This can be done by phone, electronically, or by visiting the registration office in person (the patient informs the administrator about the electronic referral issued by the doctor).
3. The patient receives the service.
It is necessary to present an identity document. If the patient is under 15 years old and does not have a passport or identity card, they should present a birth certificate.
- Details: electronic referrals/E-nosūtījumi on the portal eveseliba.gov.lv.
What Is Available Today on eveseliba
- Laboratory test results from 26 laboratories;
- electronic prescriptions,
- electronic sick leave,
- visual diagnostic data,
- hospital discharge summaries,
- application for the European Health Insurance Card,
- the ability to specify a contact person in case of health problems.
