Besides the Daugavpils Regional Hospital, similar actions were taken in both university hospitals and the children's hospital. However, not everywhere are they ready to provide figures.
It is impossible to say how many medical staff Latvian hospitals, complying with the National Security Law, have already lost in total. The layoffs are happening quite quietly. Only the Daugavpils Regional Hospital made headlines.
It was after this that the press became interested in whether layoffs were occurring in other hospitals in Latvia. It turned out — yes. But in a much calmer manner. For example, at the Children’s Clinical University Hospital, according to the management, "several individuals with citizenship from Russia or Belarus" have been identified, and since this hospital is also recognized as a critical infrastructure object, a "process of assessment and gradual dismissal of employees with Russian or Belarusian citizenship" is currently underway.
At the same time, the hospital administration emphasized that if any of these individuals obtain Latvian citizenship, the hospital will consider the possibility of returning them to their previous position or offering a new one.
At the Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital, 10 people have been dismissed.
The Eastern Clinical University Hospital in Riga did not deny that layoffs took place, but did not provide any figures, even approximate ones.
No one had to be dismissed from the Emergency Medical Service, as there were no citizens of the Russian Federation or Belarus performing any duties there.
There is no news from the other hospitals. Although there are about forty of them.
Meanwhile, Latvians are very concerned about whether they will be left without medical assistance. Even before the new version of the National Security Law came into force, there was a severe shortage of medical personnel in Latvia. What will happen now?
Patients and medical staff are also very eager to know — which other medical institutions will be included in the list of critical infrastructure objects. Will clinics be recognized as such? Day hospitals? And if so, how many employees will they lose?
The Ministry of Health could answer all these questions. It could prepare a detailed statement, provide data, explain how it plans to address this situation, and who will replace the dismissed staff. But the Ministry of Health, as usual, is silent. It is knee-deep in the digitalization of healthcare, and there are no people there — only numbers.
