Honestly, it never even crossed her mind that going for a state-funded examination for cervical or breast cancer would require paying for the doctor's visit.
However, it seems that payment will be necessary because the state only covers the screening itself, not the doctor's visit. Inguna writes about this situation on Facebook: "I am waiting in line at the clinic's reception. In front of me is a woman with a letter from the Latvian Ministry of Health, inviting her to undergo free screening and examination for cervical cancer. The woman is registered for an appointment with a gynecologist. I hear the administrator say, 'The visit costs 50 euros.'
The woman, shocked, says, 'But I have an invitation, it says — free...'
Nurse: 'Yes, the screening will be done for free, but the consultation with the doctor will cost 50 euros because the gynecologists have run out of quotas. And now instead of 4 €, you have to pay 50 €. The woman is not ready to pay 50 € and asks to be scheduled for the New Year when there will be quotas. Administrator: we are not scheduling yet because we are waiting for the Ministry's quotas for next year. The woman leaves in shock.'
Inguna continues: 'These letters are utilized by less than 50% of the invited women. If they were to be used by 80-90% in the country, in which month would the gynecologists run out of quotas? In June? And is there an understanding of what 3 months means for an oncology patient?
And how much does treatment and a woman's life cost after that?'
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