After the talks organised by New Unity (JV), Progressive party (PRO) co-chairman Andris Šuvajevs said the state healthcare budget should be tied to growth of the national economy to provide high quality healthcare services to all residents.
Progressive party agrees with New Unity that Latvia’s healthcare system should be reformed and stable and predictable funding should be provided to the sector.
“We do not support further fragmentation of the system, because healthcare services should be universal and accessible to all.
It is necessary to reduce the dependence of healthcare on annual political decisions and ensure stable and predictable financing that is tied to the wage level or other factors,” stressed Progressive party’s Saeima deputy Edmunds Cepurītis.
According to the progressive party, Latvia should avoid linking the right to receive healthcare services with payment of social taxes.
This would make Latvia’s healthcare system even more fragmented and confusing to both patients and doctors.
From a perspective of public health and the economy it is important to ensure access to healthcare for 100% of residents, the party says. All Western European countries have successfully accomplished this.
Additionally, Progressive party stresses that the healthcare financing model should provide answers to such important challenges like predictability of patient fees and their reduction, effective integration of digital system, as well as data-driven understanding of the real costs of health services and examinations.
By reforming the healthcare sector, it is highly important to reach specific welfare indexes. So far reforms have yet to accomplish this.
Until now the healthcare budget has not been tied to growth of the national economy, inflation or other macro-economic indexes.
Progressive party notes the amount is almost completely dictated by politicians.
“This needs to change, because it is a pre-condition for efficient planning of service quotas,” Progressive party representatives say.
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