The Ministry of Health requests 39,355 euros from the contingency funds to cover the costs of medical services provided to asylum seekers in the last quarter of 2025, according to information prepared for the government by the agency, LETA reports.
Of the requested amount, 31,397 euros are intended for the National Health Service (NHS) to compensate medical institutions for the costs of providing primary, secondary outpatient, and inpatient medical care to asylum seekers from October 1 to December 31, 2025.
In turn, 7,958 euros are allocated for the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) to cover the costs of 40 ambulance calls to asylum seekers during the same period.
Of these calls, 23 were made at the asylum seeker center "Mucenieki" in the Ropaži municipality, four at the detention center for foreign nationals in Daugavpils, and 12 at the asylum seeker center "Liepa" located in the Alūksne municipality. One call was also made to the medical point of the boarding primary school in Liepa.
The calculation is based on the EMS price list, according to which the cost of one emergency crew call is 198.93 euros, so the total cost of 40 calls amounts to approximately 7,957 euros.
As explained by the Ministry of Health, funding for medical assistance to asylum seekers is not planned in the agency's budget, as it is impossible to predict the number of such individuals and the related expenses, which are also influenced by the geopolitical situation. Therefore, the incurred expenses are compensated from the state budget program "Contingency Funds" in accordance with actual costs.
A draft order has been prepared to ensure emergency medical care and medical services for individuals requiring international protection in Latvia, as provided for in the action plan for receiving asylum seekers approved by the government.
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