Latvia’s social health protection system today
Despite near universal population coverage, the benefits package is limited in scope and excludes, among other services, dental care for adults and most rehabilitative and physiotherapy services. The restricted package limited access to care and waiting lists, and high OOP payments indicate that underfunding is a major challenge. Nevertheless, the government boosted health financing by increasing spending since 2018 and was able to increase health worker salaries and the volume of services. In addition, it introduced an e-health system for convenient access to health information by citizens and providers.[1] [2]
References
[1] Behmane D, Dudele A, Villerusa A, Misins J, Klavina K, Mozgis D, Scarpetti G., Latvia: Health System Review. Health Systems in Transition, 2019; 21(4):i–165. Accessed on March 7, 2023
[2] European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2022), Latvia: Health System Summary, 2022. WHO/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels.