“Survival will depend on those who can pay!” A family doctor on what awaits patients in Latvia

She pointed out that healthcare is not a sufficiently high priority on the government's agenda, and the issue of funding is still not being addressed systematically enough. Kozlovska emphasized that the sector needs regular, constant, and stable funding, rather than a situation where additional money for specific needs is allocated only at the last moment or through budget reallocations. As an example, she cited the allocation of additional funding for reimbursable medications and other urgent needs, including the treatment of cancer patients. In the opinion of the family doctor, such an approach is not normal, as healthcare needs should be planned in the long term, ensuring predictable funding for the sector. Kozlovska stressed that one of the most important goals is to achieve healthcare funding of 6.1% of gross domestic product (GDP). In her view, this goal should not be postponed until 2027, but should be pursued as soon as possible. The family doctor indicated that the funding volume discussed in the working groups of the Ministry of Health — approximately 1.9 billion euros per year — would mean that healthcare funding would be less than 4% of GDP, rather than approaching the targeted 6%. She also stated that an additional 860 million euros would be needed for healthcare next year for Latvia to come closer to the funding levels of neighboring countries. Otherwise, in Kozlovska's opinion, patients would have to contend with increasingly longer waiting times for state-funded services, and the role of paid medicine would continue to grow. “Paid medicine will develop more and more, and those who can pay will survive,” warned the family doctor. Kozlovska believes that it is not enough to finance the needs of individual sectors, occasionally allocating additional funds for oncology, reimbursable medications, or rare and heart diseases. Healthcare needs a stable and long-term planned funding system so that patients' access to treatment does not depend on the thickness of their wallets.