Health Minister Hosam Abu Meri (JV) stated in an interview with the Latvian Television programme “Rīta panorāma” that improving the management of patient flow in hospitals would be helped by closer cooperation between healthcare institutions and the reorganization of the service network, something that is already in progress.
He highlighted that the patient congestion at Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital (PSKUS) last week was an unusual situation, resulting from a combination of factors. However, to avoid similar issues in the future, “we need to move forward” by building closer cooperation between hospitals, including those outside of Riga.
The Minister reminded that such cooperation models worked well during the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, a pilot project for hospitalization planning is being implemented, which will help gather more accurate data about which institutions are experiencing problems with patient admission.
At the same time, Abu Meri emphasized that in many cases, patients who do not live in Riga should not be sent to hospitals in the capital, especially if those hospitals are already experiencing congestion.
When asked whether the changes in patient flow regulation require legal amendments, he answered that the Ministry of Health is currently preparing a report that should be ready by the second half of the year, and the results of the previously mentioned hospitalization planning pilot project are awaited.
It is also crucial to organize the hospital service network, which is currently being worked on. This would allow both large and small hospitals to build closer cooperation and operate in a “unified ecosystem,” according to Abu Meri.
As reported, last Tuesday, the Emergency Medical Assistance Department at PSKUS faced such a large influx of patients that the admission rooms and hallway became overcrowded, with the hallway being converted from a two-way into a one-way space due to the beds being placed there, according to Latvian Television. Meanwhile, emergency medical service teams had to wait in line for several hours outside the hospital.
The Ministry of Health promised to conduct a more detailed analysis of the specific situation.