The fee for pharmaceutical services — 75 cents — for prescription medicines with a packaging price of up to 10 euros will stop being charged from July 1, according to an information message from the Ministry of Health.
Initially, the benefits for the payment of pharmaceutical services were planned to be introduced on January 1, but due to "technical reasons," it was not possible to adapt the e-health system to this deadline. Therefore, residents of Latvia continue to overpay.
For this initiative, 9.6 million euros are allocated annually from 2026 to 2028. The funding is intended to cover 100% of the payment for pharmaceutical services for prescription medicines costing up to 10 euros, as well as for individuals with first-group disabilities, including the adaptation and maintenance of the e-health system.
At the same time, the Ministry of Health wants to maintain the pharmacist's fee of 75 cents for those patients who purchase reimbursable prescription medicines costing up to 10 euros. The ministry justifies this by the need to "promote patient engagement and responsible behavior."
As reported, starting from January 1 of last year, a fee for pharmaceutical services was introduced when purchasing prescription medicines: the patient pays 75 cents.
After analyzing the prices of the 200 most frequently prescribed prescription medications, the Ministry of Health acknowledged that for certain items, patient expenses have increased.
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