The shortage of funding makes it impossible to provide proper patient care. This is why family doctors in Latvia consider going on strike this autumn, as reported by TV3 News.
With the year entering its second half, patient needs only increase, queues for examinations have already reached next year’s April, but there is still no clarity as to when primary healthcare will receive additional funding, family doctors say, listing the most acute problems in the sector.
Family doctor, board member of Latvian Association of Rural Family Physicians Ainis Dzalbs told TV3 News that
it is becoming more and more difficult for rural physicians to assist their patients, because queues for examinations exceed the allowed waiting time, which subjects people to the risk of exacerbation of chronic diseases.
On top of that, long waiting times result in oncological diseases remaining undetected for longer.
Although recently the healthcare sector received EUR 57 million and family doctors will receive 10% of this amount, it is unclear when they might receive this money. Additionally, to receive this money, it is necessary meet requirements interviewed family doctors consider unreal.
“They want results for this funding. In our case we have to phone our patients that haven’t been for check-ups for three years and invite them to come. This is absurd, because when a patients comes over, I issue a referral. And where is is supposed to end up? This is the current situation,” TV3 News was told about the situation by family doctor Zane Berga, stressing that patients won’t end up any further than the family doctor’s office. There are also concerns about the shortage of support staff, because there isn’t enough money to hire assistants.
“If money is provided, we hire an assistant, provide training. But after four months this funding runs out.
There is no sense of succession or security. I don’t know what I might have next year,” explained Berga.
In the current situation family doctors interviewed on television see their work as nearly pointless, and with patients dissatisfaction going up they consider going on strike this autumn.
“We will have to come back to this topic in autumn and discuss the situation we are in and whether or not we are able to meet specific requirements and the actual availability of services to our patients. This is not about wages, rather service accessibility and our patients’ needs. If the state does not react, it is possible there could be various protests,” said Dzalbs.
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