{"id":987678574,"date":"2024-02-12T19:11:19","date_gmt":"2024-02-12T18:11:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/?post_type=news&p=987678574"},"modified":"2024-02-19T21:31:40","modified_gmt":"2024-02-19T20:31:40","slug":"latvia-aims-to-improve-peoples-access-to-medicines-and-reduce-out-of-pocket-spending","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/news\/latvia-aims-to-improve-peoples-access-to-medicines-and-reduce-out-of-pocket-spending\/","title":{"rendered":"Latvia aims to improve people\u2019s access to medicines and reduce out-of-pocket spending"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”!!! PLEASE DO NOT EDIT !!!” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”!!! PLEASE DO NOT EDIT !!!” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.19.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”TO BE EDITED – SUMMARY – Click on the WHEEL icon to open the textarea where you can paste or type your summary. The summary condenses the main points for the news that starts below. The summary is in bold and not longer than 300 characters, including spaces. The counter at the bottom can help.” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||20px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

As reported by WHO-Europe<\/a>, Latvia has issued a roadmap to guide the implementation of new laws that will improve people’s access to medicines. Proposed changes will be implemented this year and will aim for a 15\u201320% reduction in people\u2019s out-of-pocket expenses for prescription medicines, easing the financial burden and improving health and well-being.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”TO BE EDITED – TEXT OF THE NEWS – BLOCK 1 – Click on the WHEEL icon to open the textarea where you can paste or type your news. PLEASE USE ONLY THE FEATURED IMAGE FUNCTION on your right column to add the image.” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||1em||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Reimbursement for all eligible medicines will see a significant increase to at least 75%, meaning that patients will only need to pay 25% or less of the cost out of pocket. The new roadmap outlines the concrete steps the country will need to take, and by when, in order to achieve this.<\/p>\n

\u201cWHO\/Europe welcomes this important achievement in Latvia, which is to a large extent in line with our recommendations on improving people\u2019s access to medicines while reducing financial hardship,\u201d<\/em> said Karina Zalite<\/strong>, WHO Liaison Officer to Latvia. \u201cWHO will continue to be a constructive partner and support the Ministry of Health as they progress on the path toward universal health coverage in the country.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Tackling the high cost of medicines<\/h3>\n

The high cost of medicines in Latvia<\/a> has been a longstanding concern. Various factors contribute to the disparity, such as differing markups, tax rates and lower state funding for the reimbursement of medicines compared to neighbouring countries.<\/p>\n

One of the key suggested policy changes in the new roadmap is the inclusion of new medicines on the list of reimbursable medicines. This means that people will be able to access a wider range of medicines covered by public funds. The change will particularly benefit those who previously faced barriers to access to medicines and treatments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an important milestone,\u201d said Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, Director of WHO\/Europe\u2019s Division of Country Health Policies and Systems. \u201cWhen more people can afford a wider range of medicines without experiencing financial hardship, we are actively building healthier communities and societies. Together with our experts on medicines and our specialized office on health systems financing in Barcelona, we\u2019ll continue to work with the Government of Latvia to see these policies implemented soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Latvia\u2019s Minister of Health Dr Hosams Abu Meri also emphasized the critical role that medicines play in improving health outcomes. In a note published by the Ministry, he expressed satisfaction with the new policy, calling it an \u201chistorical event\u201d that will positively impact the country.<\/p>\n

Moving forward with implementation<\/h3>\n

The Ministry of Health has put forward a multistep implementation strategy, which includes the development of a uniform pricing model for all prescription medicines and a cap on the price of prescription drugs to align with those in Estonia and Lithuania.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the National Health Service will review and expand the list of reimbursable medicines and revise reimbursement levels; for instance, medicines currently covered at 50% will be reimbursed at 75% moving forward.<\/p>\n

The Ministry also plans to implement measures such as requiring pharmacies with a market share exceeding 10% to make medicine stocks available online. The exchange of information on medicine supplies and interruptions will also be improved.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the Ministry aims to strengthen the role of pharmacists in primary health care by evaluating the introduction of new pharmaceutical care services by 1 July 2024. This is in line with WHO\/Europe\u2019s call for more sustainable policies to support and empower health and care workers.<\/p>\n

According to data made available by the Ministry, in 2022, 705 443 Latvian residents received 6 469 362 prescriptions, and the state invested 227.8 million euros in prescription medicines. At the same time, patients were spending 255.8 million euros on prescription medicines that were not included on the list of reimbursed medicines. The new measures mark a significant milestone in making prescription medicines more affordable and accessible for all Latvian residents.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Image CAPTION” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”13px” custom_margin=”||20px||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Featured image on top:<\/strong> Aija Kinca\/Latvijas Telev\u012bzija\u00a0at LSM.lv. Source: LSM.lv<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As reported by WHO-Europe, Latvia has issued a roadmap to guide the implementation of new laws that will improve people’s access to medicines. Proposed changes will be implemented this year and will aim for a 15\u201320% reduction in people\u2019s out-of-pocket expenses for prescription medicines, easing the financial burden and improving health and well-being.\u00a0Reimbursement for all…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":137,"featured_media":987678864,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[],"tags":[115,118,127,126,135],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/987678574"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/137"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=987678574"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/987678574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":987679225,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/987678574\/revisions\/987679225"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/987678864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=987678574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=987678574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=987678574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}