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According to Zvidrina, in order to discuss specific proposals on how to reduce the lines, the cause of the "congestion" needs to be established.

First, it is necessary to understand how many patients, who are appointed for medical diagnosis, are "first-timers", and which ones require repeated check-ups for therapeutic purposes, Zvidrina explained.

She said that it is possible that the long lines are created artificially and are a "systematic problem". Zvidrina said that, for example, a patient had already undergone oncology check-ups at Liepaja Regional Hospital, however, upon arriving at East Hospital, the patient was appointed for repeated check-ups.

The state secretary pointed out that "it is not okay if a patient, who has been diagnosed with cancer, has to wait five or six months in line for further check-ups".

As reported, the Corruption Prevention Bureau has launched a criminal case against staff at the Latvian Oncology Center and Gailezers' Radiology Department of Riga East Clinical University Hospital, based on evidence that points to illegally requested (or implied) and accepted fees for services (under the counter).

The Bureau's press secretary, Laura Dusa, told LETA that the evidence specifically indicates a number of staff members abused their authority in requesting and accepting favors from patients so that the standard queue for an MRI does not pertain to them.