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International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Thursday, 28.03.2024, 09:39

18.5% Latvian family physicians' practices inspected participate in protest campaign

BC, Riga, 08.08.2017.Print version
Only 18.5% of the family physicians' practices inspected by the Latvian Health Inspectorate were participating in the protest campaign organized by the Latvian Association of Family Physicians, informs LETA.

The Health Inspectorate said that the inspection were conducted to reveal the practices which had not officially announced their participation in the protest. Altogether 599 practices were inspected, and most of them or 53.8% were not participating in the protest at the time of the inspection and 23.5% had withdrawn from the protest campaign.

 

According to the inspectorate, despite a number of complaints received on the phone or by e-mail about the family physicians' practices requiring patients to pay for the government-paid services they received during the protest as for private medical services, only three complaints have been lodged officially.

 

The Health Inspectorate is reviewing those complaints, and, if those complaints proved to be substantiated, the medical establishment in question will have to refund the patients for the excess amount of the fee.

 

As reported, over 600 family physicians in Latvia went on a strike at noon on July 3, ceasing to provide any government-funded health care services to their patients until an agreement is reached with the Latvian government on the demands by the family physicians, including the increase of the capitation. As of July 18, the protest form was altered and now family physicians accept no more than 20 patients a day. The protest in this form is to continue until October 1.






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