Prepare! Prices for paid services in hospitals may rise 0 12

Staff are feeling the rise in expenses, especially the increase in fuel prices - it affects doctors and other specialists who commute long distances to different regions for work. Hospitals note that if current trends continue, prices for paid services may also increase in the future.

The Vidzeme Hospital indicates that one of the aspects where the price increase is felt the most is fuel. Many doctors commute to work from Riga and other regions. Due to staff shortages, the hospital compensates some employees for fuel costs - on average, 30-40 workers receive this compensation monthly.

"On average, we pay 3-4 thousand euros a month [for all], as there are also other employees who are not medical staff but are extremely necessary for us - they also travel 70-80 km. They are already experiencing certain difficulties as well," said the chairman of the board of Vidzeme Hospital, Ugis Muskovs.

The hospital predicts that these expenses will continue to grow in the future. An increase in the cost of purchasing medications and medical supplies is also expected. Contracts are usually signed for a couple of years.

"When preparing new purchases, we see that suppliers are signaling a possible increase of 5-10%. The trend we have planned in the budget for medical supplies and medications is about 5-6% growth compared to last year. If we, as a hospital, spend almost 2 million euros a year on medications, it can be calculated that this is several hundred thousand euros in additional expenses per year. Because without medical supplies and medications, the treatment process is impossible," Muskovs explained.

The Cesis Clinic also noted that about 100 employees commute to work daily using personal transport, and fuel expenses are becoming an increasingly significant burden. In some items, there are already signs of price increases for medications - by several dozen cents per item, but so far this is not widespread.