Financial Services, Latvia, Markets and Companies, Medicine, Wages

At the same time, the ministry plans to raise salaries for medical support and care staff by 5 percent annually, from EUR 766 to EUR 1,096 in 2027. 

According to the ministry's estimates, implementation of the plan would each year require EUR 70-75 million additional funding.

According to the ministry's plan, the new pay system for medics would be phased in starting January 1, 2021 and the initial phase would last for two years, until January 1, 2023. This phase would involve introducing a full-time equivalent (FTE) in healthcare institutions' structural units, recalculation of prices, setting the changeable part of the medics' pay and working out guidelines and criteria. 

It is planned that in the new model, basic salary will make up 70 percent of the medics' remuneration, which will be based on criteria like education, job experience, skills, workload and quality.

The variable part of the salary, which will make up 30 percent, will be based on criteria like the number of patients, the number of patients with complicated diagnoses, the average length of treatment, the number and complexity of surgeries performed, etc.

After the reform, the pay difference between medical job groups will not exceed 60 percent. 

The new pay system for medics has been worked out in collaboration with the Latvian Nurses Association, Latvian Medical Association, Latvian Junior Doctors Association, hospital heads, economists, chief nurses, representatives of the State Chancellery, the Health Ministry and universities.