Latvian Trade Union of Health and Social Care Workers (LVSADA) has turned to the State Audit (VK) with a request to perform an audit of the actions of the Cabinet of Ministers in planning state expenditures on the main functions of the Ministry of Health for the period between 2017 and 2024, as confirmed by LVSADA coordinator Inga Rudzīte.
The decision to do this was made by LVSADA after reading through a letter from VK and a survey in regards to the planning of audits “that will promote good changes for the public sector and improve the quality of life for residents”.
“One of the cornerstones of residents’ quality of life is accessibility and quality of healthcare. In March, during discussions of ways to improve state healthcare and opportunities, President Edgars Rinkēvičs and the management of LVSADA reached an agreement that Latvia’s public funding for healthcare should be brought as close as possible to the EU average, which was 7% of gross domestic product in 2022,” comments the trade union.
LVSADA admits that state expenditures on healthcare in proportion to GDP in 2024, when compared to 2023, went from 4.2% to 4.2%.
In 2024, the Ministry of Health received only EUR 77 million, not EUR 275 million. Additionally, according to LVSADA, the Cabinet of Ministers decided to keep funding for the healthcare sector at the level of 2024 when planning the budget for 2025 and 2026.
LVSADA’s experience indicates that the Latvian government had failed to keep in mind existing policy-planning documents multiple times in the past when planning state budget projects. The consequence of that is one of the lowest state funding amounts for healthcare among EU member states, poor accessibility of healthcare services and about 4 000 premature deaths per year more than the EU average.
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