Caution: Hospital Reform!

Whatever the Ministry of Health takes on, it only gets worse. The prepared and already approved hospital network reform by the government is expected to further worsen the accessibility of medical services. Therefore, the Union of Greens and Farmers, having failed to gain understanding from coalition partners, is now asking parliament to halt this dangerous reform. "The government-approved hospital reform is poorly thought out and will worsen healthcare accessibility not only in the regions but also in Riga," emphasizes Oleg Burov, chairman of the parliamentary commission on public administration and local government. "When there are no beds for patients in the remaining regional hospitals, the ambulance will take them to Riga, which means even longer queues will form in the already overcrowded Stradins and Gaiļezers hospitals. Ensuring accessible healthcare is one of the main tasks of the state, but we already see today that the state is failing in this task. After the proposed reform, it will be impossible to talk about accessible healthcare in Latvia." "Investments in healthcare are investments; they are not just expenses. Unfortunately, our society is aging, there is a shortage of labor, and at the same time, we are living longer. Accessible healthcare and medicine mean the ability to address health issues in a timely manner and continue to be economically active. This is vital for Latvia and our economy. Given the demographic trends, the country needs to think more about keeping our seniors capable of working and being active members of society for longer. Only with this approach will all other state expenditures, including those on security and other areas, be beneficial," Burov is convinced. Oleg Burov reminded that during the consideration of the hospital reform in the government, professionals from the industry were not given a voice. "As far as I have spoken with doctors, they are all against this reform, and not listening to professionals was a big mistake and a sign of disrespect," summarizes the head of the Saeima commission. The implementation of the "reform" without a comprehensive assessment of medical, geospatial, financial, and social impacts could jeopardize patient safety, the accessibility of healthcare services in the regions, complicate the work of the Emergency Medical Service and hospitals, as well as the financial stability of regional medical institutions. The Union of Greens and Farmers proposes to instruct the government to cancel the decision on the hospital network reform no later than within ten working days.