EU – Baltic States, Health, Latvia, Legislation, Markets and Companies, Medicine

LVSADA in collaboration with other organizations has formed 82 signature collection points in all the regions of Latvia to give every citizen the opportunity to sign and defend accessible and high-quality health care in the country.

The rapidly growing number of supporters of the petition proves that the public does not wish to accept the massive budget cuts implemented in recent years, said the LVSADA.

Representatives from the LVSADA, the Latvian Umbrella Body for Disability organizations "Sustento", the Latvian Patients’ Ombud and other organizations were the first ones who signed the complaint prepared for the European Ombudsman regarding health care in Latvia.

LVSADA Chairman Valdis Keris informed that the signatures drive will last until the end of August, but they are to be summarize and submitted to the European Ombudsman by the end of September.

As Keris acknowledged, this could be the first complaint of this type to the European Ombudsman. In other cases, the European Ombudsman has responded quickly and helped find a compromise. The LVSADA hopes for similar action also this time, as well as for possibility to persuade Latvia's government to allot more money to for health care.

The LVSADA chairman specified that the situation within the health care sector is very complicated, and that the lack of money could soon threaten the work of the emergency medical services in hospitals. The death-rate at hospitals has also increased, caused by insufficient financing. When the number of patients in hospitals is increasing, doctors are overworked.

Preparing the charge, LVSADA reposes on the Article 35 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (EU), which, inter alia, prescribes that all the political documents and activities of EU have to ensure a high level of human health protection.