There Are Patients, but No Money: Latvia's Regional Medicine is Being Cut to the Bone 0 10

The Ministry of Health (MoH) explains: the goal is a more justified distribution of available funding and a refusal to pay for services that are not actually provided. At the same time, the closure of hospitals is not planned, and individual solutions are promised for certain regions.

Staff Reductions Will Be Necessary

Funding for small regional hospitals in Latvia may be cut by more than 5 million euros, or at least by 10%. This concerns funding for "inpatient care" - that is, the ability to consult with doctors on-site.

The heads of regional hospitals warn the public about the consequences of this step in an open letter sent to the Ministry of Health, the National Health Service, the Saeima Social and Labor Affairs Commission, and the Cabinet of Ministers.

"According to information received from hospitals, funding is disproportionately reduced specifically for small local hospitals in Latvia... This year, it is planned to reduce the planned payment per patient for second and third-level hospitals by 8-21%," the heads of regional hospitals state.

Personnel costs currently account for 70% to 85% of all expenses of medical institutions, and it is practically impossible to cut other expense items. To fit within the reduced funding, hospitals will obviously have to abandon round-the-clock operation of operating rooms for emergencies and cut staff in round-the-clock wards by up to half, which will jeopardize both planned and emergency treatment of patients.

The letter also mentions the risk of losing doctors and medical personnel, as regional hospitals are already forced to compete with private clinics and large hospitals in Riga. The situation is exacerbated by the increase in the minimum wage since January of this year.

The heads of regional hospitals urge to suspend the planned changes and conduct a socio-economic assessment, emphasizing that this issue also affects national security.

How Much Will Be Taken Away

The figures provided by the heads of hospitals include the following:

• In Tukums Hospital, the payment per patient will decrease by 21% — from 1021.10 to 802.70 euros;

• In Līvāni Hospital, the decrease will also be 21% — from 806.60 to 635.80 euros;

• In the Ziemelkurzeme Regional Hospital, it will be 19% — from 1157.50 to 940.70 euros;

• In Dobele and the surrounding hospital, the decrease will be 14% — from 1050.20 to 906.00 euros;

• In Jūrmala Hospital, the figure will decrease by 11% — from 875.50 to 778.90 euros;

• In Kuldīga Hospital — by 15%, from 893.40 to 763.00 euros;

• In Krāslava Hospital — by 14%, from 861.80 to 739.10 euros;

• The payment for treated patients in Daugavpils Regional Hospital is planned to be reduced by 2% — from 1240.80 to 1213.40 euros.

What About Riga?

For two major hospitals in Riga, an increase in payment for treated patients is planned. In the Riga Eastern Clinical University Hospital, it will increase by 10%, while in the Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital, it will increase by 3%.

In the Children's Clinical University Hospital, the payment per treated patient will decrease from 1727.80 to 1725.50 euros.

In the Trauma and Orthopedics Hospital, the payment will be reduced by 13% — from 1653.80 to 1445.20 euros, while in the Riga Maternity Hospital, the decrease will be 4% — from 1007.90 to 968.00 euros.