Latvia’s health sector faces a 509 million euro funding gap

A joint meeting of Saeima committees on the health budget ended on a bleak note on Wednesday, with officials discussing how to cover funding shortfalls. LSM reported that money for reimbursed medicines is also expected to run out by the end of this year.

The sector needs an additional 826 million euros next year, most of it for healthcare services. Boriss Kligins, a deputy state secretary at the Health Ministry responsible for financial matters, put the shortfall at 509 million euros against the level planned for next year.

Health Ministry figures presented at the meeting showed that doctors’ pay had risen by 10.6% over the past 10 years and nurses’ pay by 6.5%, compared with a 31% increase in the country’s average salary. Minimum pay for support staff remains about 800 euros.

Inflation has also affected costs such as patient meals. Funding for three meals a day is set at seven euros per patient, unchanged in recent years. The ministry estimates a 35 million euro shortfall by year-end for reimbursed medicines already dispensed to patients.

Finance Ministry forecasts show negative fiscal space in the coming years, leaving no room for additional funding, so money must be found from within existing resources. A Health Ministry representative said eight million euros had been identified so far, but that was not enough.