Latvia proposes faster emergency response for critical calls

Latvia’s Ministry of Health has proposed dividing Emergency Medical Service (NMPD) calls into three priorities, with faster responses for life-threatening cases and waits of up to two hours in some less critical cases, LSM reported.

The proposed amendments to Cabinet regulations have been submitted for public consultation. They are intended to improve the response of emergency services and hospitals and expand the services they provide.

Under the proposal, the priorities would be an immediate threat to life, a critical health condition with a high risk of death, and a condition requiring urgent medical assistance. Critical calls could receive a response within eight to 15 minutes, while some callers could wait up to two hours. Currently, the expected response time is 12 to 25 minutes in all cases.

The NMPD said the changes would take the severity of a patient’s condition into account and shorten response times in life-critical situations. Patients for whom every minute is decisive would be treated first, including people whose heart and breathing have stopped, people seriously injured in fires or accidents, and children who are choking or suffocating or have been rescued after drowning.

At present, Latvian regulations do not require emergency crews to prioritise patients whose lives are in immediate danger. The NMPD said a crew may therefore arrive at the same time for an unconscious person and for a patient who is not facing a direct threat to life. The service currently sets priorities internally and is proposing that three priorities and response times for each be established in regulations.

The proposed changes are based on World Health Organization recommendations and the goals set out in the NMPD’s strategy for 2026 to 2030. The amendments would also require hospitals to take over a patient from the NMPD within 15 minutes.