Lithuania’s 2023 health reforms include a unified Ambulance Service, strengthened public health institutions, municipal health centers, and a network of geographically accessible, high-quality hospitals. These changes aim to ensure equitable, efficient healthcare services nationwide by 2025.
As stated by the Ministry of Health of Lithuania:
“There are concerns that health services are concentrated in five large hospitals and that district hospitals will be closed. We assure the public that there is no basis for such fears—no hospitals will be closed. Complex procedures requiring advanced equipment and specialists will be handled at tertiary-level and regional centers of excellence in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, and five regions. Secondary-level hospitals will continue to provide inpatient active treatment services in regions and ten districts, ensuring equitable access nationwide.
As the demand for inpatient services decreases, maintenance-intensive inpatient beds will be transformed into efficient day hospital and day surgery services. These changes reduce complications and nosocomial infections, enable faster recovery, and expand access to outpatient services. By 2030, day hospital services are set to increase by 50%, and day surgery services by 30% compared to 2019 figures. Early trends show a 13% rise in day hospital services and an 11% rise in day surgery services from 2019 to 2023, according to the State Patients’ Fund (SPC).
Safe, accessible hospital care will be ensured by an evenly distributed network providing inpatient active treatment. Emergency, intensive care, surgical, and therapeutic services will be accessible within 60 minutes. Facilities will meet government quality requirements, offer multiple service profiles, and provide 24-hour emergency care. This network will be fully operational by 2025.
Many health issues currently treated in hospitals can be resolved in outpatient settings, as reflected in Lithuania’s high rate of avoidable hospitalizations—31.4 cases per 1,000 inhabitants in 2019. Strengthening outpatient care is a priority, with measures including enhancing family doctor teams, expanding home health services, and creating municipal health centers to bring care closer to residents.
Municipal Health Centers integrate primary and secondary outpatient care, mental health, dentistry, nursing, palliative care, emergency care, and more. They aim to provide at least 80% of health services locally, fostering collaboration between public and private, inpatient and outpatient facilities. A pilot center has been launched in the Švenčionys District, and all municipalities will assess their facilities to establish centers by year-end.
Expanded family doctor teams, expected to be fully staffed by 2030, will include family doctors, nurses, midwives, case managers, physiotherapists, lifestyle specialists, administrators, and social workers. A new patient transport service for those unable to access private or public transport is being piloted in 20 municipalities and will expand nationwide by July 2024.
This rationalized healthcare network aims to provide accessible, quality services to all Lithuanians, regardless of location. However, implementing these changes poses challenges for health workers and service organizers in adapting to new governance and management structures.”
