On Wednesday, in his residence in Jūrmala, Rinkēvičs met with the Minister of Health, Hossam Abu Meri. The President listened to the minister's speech about the next steps in implementing changes in the hospital network. The priorities of healthcare in the state budget for 2027 were also discussed during the meeting. The President and the Minister of Health talked about measures to ensure the continuity of medical institutions' operations in crisis situations, improving the availability of medications, access to pediatric dentistry, cooperation among regional hospitals, and the availability of specialists in the regions. ## Oncology It should be noted that in the spring of 2026, Rinkēvičs already demanded to expand support for oncology patients and make the medication compensation system more transparent. It seems to be in vain. At the same time, cancer patient organizations continue to point out a number of problems: - not all modern medications are included in the compensation system; - queues for certain examinations persist; - patients often have to wait to start therapy. ## Diabetes There are issues in diabetes treatment in Latvia. In the spring of 2026, the Saeima even adopted a special appeal to the government demanding: to ensure 100% compensation for type 1 diabetes patients for sensors, continuous glucose monitoring; insulin pumps; consumables for them; test strips; needles for insulin injections. The government has been instructed to prepare changes so that they come into effect no later than January 1, 2027.