Last year, the financial situation in Latvian hospitals was difficult. This year, however, though the situation will not be ideal, but it “will be ok”, said Minister of Health Hosams Abu Meri in an interview to LTV programme Rīta panorāma.
The politician added – to make sure more money reaches hospitals this week, it is necessary to move forward with the report by the Ministry of Health on the initial reforms in the hospital network. Approval will allow hospitals to receive more than EUR 25 million in additional funding.
Latvian Hospital Association objects to this, but Abu Meri believes the cooperation with partners is good even though it is clear there is no way to satisfy everyone. He intends for the ministry’s proposed changes to be adopted by the beginning of June.
Abu Meri said that with the additional EUR 25 million the situation in hospitals will not be ideal. It “will be ok”, because “everything will become cheaper this year”. Additional finances were secured in the state budget at the beginning of the year.
The minister explained pushing forward with reforms is important so that “the government doesn’t receive any accusations” about money not securing improvement of efficiency in the healthcare system.
The politician reminded that the ministry plans to develop a new report with a more detailed description of the organisation of work in hospitals by next year.
In two weeks, the Ministry of Health will present its offer on the expansion of the list of compensated medicines. Around EUR 15-20 million is planned to be allocated towards this.
As previously reported, the Ministry of Health has prepared a report on the hospital network’s reform that includes measures to improve inpatient health services and emergency medical services. It also updates the requirements for hospital activity profiles and their levels, outlines the cooperation networks of regional hospitals and defines the principles of their operation, as well as establishes the establishment and management of methodological centres that will ensure systemic monitoring of the quality of treatment processes in the country.
As LETA was previously told by the director of the ministry’s Department of Healthcare Sanita Janka, in April it is planned to present the report to the government, so that it is possible to start working on its implementation in May. She stressed it is not important where healthcare services are provided, but it is important for there to be a team to provide them.
“We can say that we [hospitals] don’t have as many patients, and everything can be done by a single doctor. However, doctors have their own competence and nurses have their. It is important for patients for there to be services. We cannot allow patients to be served by a team in a large hospital and only a doctor and a nurse in the countryside. This would not be fair towards our patients,” said Janka.
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