[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
The Latvian Trade Union of Health and Social Care Workers (LHRSW) plans to send an open letter to the government urging an increase in healthcare funding for 2025, said leader Valdis Keris. Latvia\u2019s healthcare spending lags behind the EU average (7.7% of GDP), with one of the lowest nurse-to-population ratios in the EU.<\/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 According to LHRSW leader Valdis Keris<\/strong>, Latvia\u2019s healthcare expenditures remain among the lowest in the EU, falling behind both the EU average of 7.7% of GDP<\/strong> and the 6% of GDP<\/strong> target set by the 2021\u20132027 Public Health Principles. The ratio of doctors to the population is below the EU average, and the number of nurses per capita is one of the lowest in Europe.<\/p>\n The European Commission\u2019s recent report on Latvia\u2019s economic, social, and healthcare policies was particularly critical of the country\u2019s healthcare system, highlighting chronic underfunding as a major issue.<\/p>\n \u201cDecades of inadequate funding have resulted in long patient queues, poor access to medical services, and an ongoing staff shortage caused by uncompetitive salaries,\u201d said Keris.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n One of the most alarming consequences of underfunding is high preventable mortality, with Latvia losing thousands of working-age people each year\u2014lives that could be saved with proper healthcare funding.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we don\u2019t want to turn this country into a well-guarded cemetery, we must act immediately,\u201d warned Keris.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n LHRSW has invited Prime Minister Evika Sili\u0146a and Minister of Health Hosam Abu Meri to a September 17 meeting to address the funding crisis.<\/p>\n \u201cDepending on their responses, we will decide on further actions,\u201d said Keris, hinting at possible escalation if demands for increased funding are not met.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n With Latvia\u2019s healthcare system facing severe financial constraints, urgent government intervention is needed to prevent further workforce losses, improve access to care, and reduce preventable deaths. The upcoming discussions with top officials will be crucial in determining whether the government is willing to prioritize healthcare as a national emergency.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”TO BE EDITED – TEXT OF THE NEWS – BLOCK 2 – 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” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Latvian Trade Union of Health and Social Care Workers (LHRSW) plans to send an open letter to the government urging an increase in healthcare funding for 2025, said leader Valdis Keris. Latvia\u2019s healthcare spending lags behind the EU average (7.7% of GDP), with one of the lowest nurse-to-population ratios in the EU.According to LHRSW…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":137,"featured_media":987758049,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[],"tags":[122,3046],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/987758044"}],"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=987758044"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/987758044\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":987758062,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/987758044\/revisions\/987758062"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/987758049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=987758044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=987758044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=987758044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
\n
\n