Progress has come to our village: due to the transition to e-referrals, patients have to wait longer 0 4

On Thursday, medical institutions and patients faced longer waiting times for referrals than usual. The problems arose because the new system is not yet synchronized with the information programs used by large hospitals and family doctors, which is currently creating certain inconveniences. The goal of the innovation is to fully digitize the process of issuing and registering referrals, as well as to eliminate the practice where a patient with one referral signs up in queues at several medical institutions, artificially prolonging them.

The transitional period, during which paper referrals can still be used, will last until May of next year. If a doctor does not have internet access or the system is not working, a paper referral can be issued, but then the doctor or medical institution will be required to digitize the same referral. Patients should keep in mind that the electronic referral will be valid for three months, and they can only sign up for an appointment at one medical institution per referral, meaning they cannot queue at several places at once.

For example, in the practice of family doctor Ainis Dzalbs in Stalgen, electronic referrals currently account for only 10-15% of the total number of referrals, which is a small amount. The reasons for this are varied, including patient habits and concerns about various technical malfunctions. "We still occasionally experience disruptions in the operation of the e-health system," Dzalbs added.

The Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital (PSCUH) also acknowledged that the biggest problem is that the new section of the e-health system is not integrated into the hospital's information system, and therefore double work must be done - entering the paper referral into the digital system. There is a queue at the registration desk all day. To reach someone by phone, you have to wait longer than usual.

Dzintra Klavina, head of the information and customer service department at PSCUH, said: "Today, entering the first paper referral into the system took ten minutes. We tell patients to come 15 minutes before their appointment. Almost half of our patients come with paper referrals, and if we have to digitize everything that is needed, our patients will have to come at least an hour before their scheduled visit to the doctor."

The question arises - there is a clear shortcoming and defect. After all, the government pays millions for non-functioning IT solutions designed to "make life easier for patients and medical staff." So, shouldn't someone be held accountable for the waste and defects?