Deputies reacted to the budget cuts of the main maternity care institution in the country.
The National Alliance will demand explanations from Health Minister Hossam Abu Meri (JV) regarding the funding of the Riga Maternity Hospital — it was reported that due to a lack of funds, the sixth floor with ten family rooms was temporarily closed this summer.
"It has been publicly stated that the budget of the Riga Maternity Hospital this year is approximately 750,000 euros less than initially planned, which, along with limited staff availability, forced the institution to close the family rooms on the sixth floor from June to the end of August.
"It is unacceptable to talk about resolving the demographic crisis while simultaneously cutting funding for the largest maternity institution in the country. Every family in Latvia should be assured that at the moment of their baby's birth, the state will be there to provide respectful and modern care conditions, rather than having doors to rooms closed. The National Alliance will demand from the Minister of Health explanations on how such a situation arose and a plan of action to restore full maternity care, including the availability of family rooms, and to ensure it is not threatened in the future," emphasized Saeima deputy Arturs Butāns.
The National Alliance reminds that the maternity hospital is the largest maternity care institution in Latvia and that family rooms are an important part of modern maternity care, allowing fathers to be present in the first days of the child's life. It is unacceptable for funding for maternal and child healthcare to be cut in a country where the demographic situation is one of the largest long-term challenges and where support for families with children is prioritized.
The National Alliance expects the Ministry of Health to provide a comprehensive explanation of the reasons and decisions behind the funding cuts, so that funding for maternal and child healthcare across Latvia remains stable and predictable," the statement from the National Alliance, which is part of the ruling coalition and could clarify the situation with the maternity hospital at a coalition council meeting, reads.
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