The state must find resources to maintain emergency departments in remote rural areas, declares the municipal Krāslava Hospital in a letter to the Latgale Subcommittee of the Saeima’s Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee.
The hospital emphasizes that it is essential for emergency medical care to be accessible as close as possible to people’s homes or the site of an accident, as this would also make it easier for patients to return home after receiving treatment. The hospital’s management points out that the smaller the hospital, the more expensive it is to treat a single patient in the emergency department. Therefore, “the state must allocate resources to maintain emergency departments in remote rural regions.”
“The farther a person lives from Riga, the greater the distance to the nearest point where emergency care can be received. That is why emergency departments in small hospitals must be preserved and maintained,” the hospital urges.
The hospital’s leadership also argues that it is inappropriate to calculate the cost per patient in emergency departments.
By their very nature, emergency departments operate as on-duty units ready to fulfil their function at any moment, and their operation cannot depend on the number of patients received.
“The only legitimate expectation from a medical institution is to ensure that the emergency department is staffed with the necessary specialists who provide round-the-clock emergency care, along with the appropriate technical infrastructure,” Krāslava Hospital states.
The hospital’s leadership also highlights a critical and nationwide issue – the shortage of medical personnel. At Krāslava Hospital, the average age of doctors is 58, with 27 doctors over the age of 60, accounting for 60% of the entire medical staff.
“This issue cannot be resolved without state support. Solutions must be found to motivate young doctors to work in the regions,” the hospital appeals.
The subcommittee will review the concerns raised by the hospital at its scheduled meeting on Tuesday, the 27th of May, at 14:00. A similar letter has also been submitted by Daugavpils Regional Hospital.
Representatives from the Ministry of Health, the National Health Service, hospitals, and local municipalities have been invited to attend the meeting.