Health Ministry seeks €32.95 million for cybersecurity systems and upkeep

Latvia’s Health Ministry needs €32.95 million for cybersecurity, including the maintenance and improvement of systems developed with European Union funding, Health Minister Hosams Abu Meri told Latvian Radio, LSM reported.

The sum is the largest item on the ministry’s list of high-priority needs requiring additional funding next year. A Saeima committee had expressed surprise at the amount.

Abu Meri said the funding would cover a period of four to five years. New systems need ongoing maintenance and development as technology and cybersecurity threats change, he said.

He also said a new law calls for cybersecurity specialists at every institution. The ministry is pursuing centralisation through digital health centres, with the aim of bringing healthcare institutions together and making procurement more efficient, he said.

The Health Ministry is seeking €826 million in additional funding for next year’s budget. Of that, €406.7 million is intended to improve access to and the quality of healthcare, including increases in healthcare workers’ pay and service tariff rates. A further €135.39 million is sought to improve the system for reimbursable medicines and materials.