On 10 March, President Edgars Rinkēvičs met with the Minister of Health Hosams Abu Meri at the Riga Castle. During the meeting, the parties discussed current developments in the healthcare sector, including patient waiting times at the Emergency Medical Centre of Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital (PSKUS), the reorganisation of the hospital network, the outcomes of drug pricing reforms, and planned measures to improve the demographic situation.
The President received the Minister for Health’s explanation of the situation at the PSKUS Emergency Medical Centre, including the responsibility of the Emergency Medical Service (NMPD), and called for more active dialogue between the stakeholders involved.
"Latvia’s healthcare system is currently facing serious challenges – an increasing patient population, rising treatment costs, and insufficient funding. These issues cannot be resolved overnight, but we have been working on them for years. I urge the Ministry of Health to focus on strengthening the healthcare system. We need clarity on the availability and distribution of funding so that hospitals can plan their operations accordingly. We must not allow a situation where patients do not receive timely treatment or where medical staff are subjected to an excessive workload due to a lack of funding," said President Edgars Rinkēvičs following the meeting.
During the meeting, the parties also discussed specific proposals for improving the demographic situation.
