The Ministry of Health has put forward for public discussion a draft amendment to the rules regarding the Register of Medical Workers and Health Support Specialists. The discussion will last until July 16. If the changes are adopted, medical workers who have worked outside Latvia and wish to restore their registration in the register or undergo re-registration will be required to inform the Health Inspectorate where exactly they practiced. In addition, they will need to provide confirmation that the competent authorities of the respective country did not prohibit or restrict their professional activities. If such restrictions were imposed, the doctor will have to provide an official decision from the foreign authority. Currently, Latvian rules do not require medical professionals to report work abroad if it lasted less than three years during the registration period or after its expiration. The new requirements are proposed to apply to professional activities in any country in the world, not just in European Union states. This means that upon returning to work in Latvia, the Health Inspectorate will be able to verify not only the fact of working abroad but also the presence of any possible disciplinary restrictions. If it turns out that the right to practice medicine abroad was restricted or revoked, the Inspectorate will be able to postpone re-registration or restoration of the entry in the register. When making a decision, it is planned to take into account the severity of the violations, their number, the professional experience of the specialist, their explanations, the consequences of the violations, and other circumstances. If necessary, an additional assessment of professional suitability may be appointed. The proposed changes are a continuation of the course to strengthen control over the professional activities of medical workers. The impetus for this was, among other things, an international journalistic investigation published last year. It was revealed that more than a hundred doctors who were deprived of the right to practice in one European country continued to work in another. Among them were two medical specialists who treated patients in Latvia despite the restrictions imposed in Finland. The draft amendments also provide for an update of the list of medical specialties. It is proposed to include a spine surgeon as a subspecialty of an orthopedic traumatologist, an oncogynecologist as a subspecialty of an obstetrician-gynecologist, as well as a nurse with extended competencies. The classifier of health support specialists is planned to be supplemented with an embryologist. At the same time, it is proposed to abandon separate certification for several therapeutic and diagnostic methods, including hyperbaric oxygenation, screening electrocardiography, auricular and laser acupuncture. The ministry emphasizes that the methods themselves are not prohibited — they can still be applied with the appropriate training. Another change concerns the deadlines for submitting documents. It is proposed to establish that the application for re-registration must be submitted no earlier than three months and no later than one month before the expiration of the current registration. After the public discussion is completed, the Ministry of Health will review the received proposals, after which the draft rules will be submitted for further approval.