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Latvian health minister: medics' protest taking place in "wrong place and time"

BC, Riga, 20.04.2015.Print version
Today's rally of the Trade Union of Health and Social Care Employees of Latvia is being organized in a "wrong place and time", Latvian Health Minister Guntis Belevics (Greens/Farmers) said in an interview with the Latvian Television show "Rita panorama", reports LETA.

"Healthcare is a national matter of each country, it is not only a matter of the European Union," the minister said. He believes that the Cabinet of Ministers is the right place to voice one's demands, while the best time for this would be during the talks on next year's budget.

 

At the same time, the minister said that he will inform the EU's health ministers about the insufficient funding for Latvia's healthcare. He also repeatedly confirmed that he supports the protestors' demands and is ready to stand for them. "However, it does not make much sense in this context. Asking for additional funding will make sense only when the right time comes – during the budget talks," the minister emphasized.

 

During the protest, Belevics and other EU health ministers will be having a luncheon at the Latvian National Library. According to Belevics, the ministers will have an open view of the protestors during the luncheon.

 

It is possible to find additional funding for healthcare, but only by carrying out structural reforms, as Health Minister Guntis Belevics (Greens/Farmers) said in an interview with the Latvian Television show "Rita panorama" this morning.

 

The government has decided that additional funding for the next three years will be possible only through structural reforms. "The fact that there is no additional funds will force us to implement structural reforms and fix the system [..]," said Belevics, adding that there are large amounts of money simply "being wasted" at the moment.

 

He added that society and government members must be convinced that only healthy people can facilitate the economic growth of the country.

 

When asked whether former Health Minister Ingrida Circene's idea about linking up healthcare services with residents' personal income tax payments is still on the agenda, Belevics said that it is not, as it is more or less "put on ice". He explained that calculations are yet to be made to understand whether such a health insurance system is even possible.

 

 

As reported, the Trade Union of Health and Social Care Employees of Latvia will hold a protest by the Latvian National Library at noon today. The protest will be held at a time an informal meeting of the European Union's health ministers is taking place in Riga.

 

The union points out that the proportion of residents with neglected health care needs in Latvia is the highest in the EU, that salaries for medical personnel increase with considerable delay, compared to other sectors, and that only 50% of graduates from medical universities and colleges seek employment in Latvia.






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