Reducing the actual number of Latvian population from 2.23 to 1.9 million people, according to recent census results will not lead to a reduction in health care financing, said Minister of Health Juris Barzdinsh (Union of Greens and Farmers), answering the question of BakuToday in the program “Characters” Latvian Radio. Will not affect it, according to him, and at the level of health indicators of the Latvian people.
“Ministry of Health has prepared a strategic document of national importance -” The main provisions of a healthy society until 2017. “It defines what we want to see life expectancy, the duration of working age, and so preceding that document, adopted 10 years ago, did not contain such a large number of measurable performance, but chief among them – life expectancy in Latvia at 95% of the average, was not achieved. Life expectancy in Latvia is growing, but the West is growing faster, “- said Barzdinsh.
According to him, from 1 July launched a program to improve the quality and accessibility of family doctors. Also during the 7 months that he is leading the industry, improved financial discipline in large state-owned hospitals. On the question BakuToday, in what numbers it has evolved, the minister did not give an exact answer. Recalling that the budget of the Ministry of Health in 2011 to 12 million lats (16.8 million euros) less than in 2010, Barzdinsh made it clear that the released due to “strengthen financial discipline,” the funds were reallocated so as to reduce the public finance sector is not Consumers felt her services. “Patients are already very hard hit in 2009, when it was raised by the citizens paid component of health services. No reform should no longer be at the expense of patients,” – said the minister.
According to him, medical professionals often reproached him that he does not emphasize, as did its predecessors, the need for additional funding for the industry. “In my opinion, we must learn to give taxpayers more of the means at our disposal. To make them feel that we are doing our best. I think we did not succeed,” – said Barzdinsh.
BakuToday Minister reminded his recent statement that, in Latvia “amazingly good medicine,” and about the storm disturbance caused by these words from consumers of health services. “I can repeat what our doctors are able to do, despite the crisis, allows you to save [high level]. We have many enthusiasts of the business, although there are exceptions,” – said Barzdinsh.
Queue in the waiting room, he said, explained, including the fact that people who come to Latvia once a year, take the opportunity to resort to more expensive and at the same time sufficiently high-quality services of domestic medicine. And if the initiative (in fact, correct) to restrict access to free medical care for the Latvians, who pay taxes are not in Latvia, because they live and work abroad, has not yet received support, and then, too, so as not to break off this perhaps the only thread that binds them to their homeland, the politician stressed.
Speaking of the exodus of doctors abroad Barzdinsh assured that all will not leave that with the departure of doctors abroad and observed the opposite trend – for their return. The minister said that doctors leave not only for economic reasons. The difficulty for young doctors is the transition from stage to stage of training a medical practitioner by virtue of a certain conservatism inherent in the opinion Barzdinsha, the profession. “Most young professionals do not want to leave Latvia, but hard to get young people” – the minister said.
To overcome this barrier, the Ministry has initiated and hopes to implement a new system of organization of autumn residency with an emphasis on practical work. Will be able to pass a post-practice not only in the capital and the provinces, this work will pay, and not just an intern, but also his mentor. In this case, all students graduating from training will be provided with places in residency.
Under the new rules of the Cabinet, which until July 19 the Ministry of Health should make to the government, between ministries, universities and students, as well as between the university and the hospital and the young doctor will be a tripartite agreement. Accordingly, at the end of the residency young doctor will get the calculation of the cost of his education, his salary during the residency, pay a mentor, and other costs. In the event that within 5 years after the passage of a young doctor working residency and pay taxes in Latvia less than three years, he undertakes to return to the state of the costs of preparing it – everything except his salary during the residency.
“We’re not trying to limit freedom of the graduates of our medical schools. Freedom – is a great value in Europe. But Latvia is not rich enough to prepare professionals for the German hospitals, for example. Let the foreign employers of our graduates received pay for the Latvian experts” – said Barzdinsh. Young Doctors Association opposes, he added.
Potentially, the number of physicians per capita in Latvia is not the highest in Europe, although not the lowest, employment opportunities are available, said Barzdinsh, responding to a question BakuToday, where do you find work for young professionals, if the state reduces funding for the sector and the number of rates in health facilities. There is even a shortage of certain specialties, such as pathologists. Yes, in Riga, more doctors than it takes people, but there is a shortage in the province, told the minister.
BakuToday asked the Barzdinsha as affect the performance of national health (life expectancy, mortality, etc.) the outcome of the general census of population in Latvia, according to which the population was 300 thousand less? According to the minister, life expectancy in Latvia grew even during the crisis and, as he explained to the competent authorities, population decline in this index and its dynamics are not affected.
Of course, because such a significant reduction in the real population of Latvia, the figure should increase government spending on health in per capita terms, but it will not cause a decrease in financing of the sector in planning the budget in 2012, assured Barzdinsh. Anyway, while he occupies the post of minister, this does not happen. Medicine in Latvia and so underfunded to trim its budget even more, said Barzdinsh.
As reported BakuToday, in Latvia on health in 2011, allocated 486.5 million lats (680.3 million euros), which is 15.6% less than in 2008, when the budget was 576.5 million lats (over 806 million euros). The provision for health care is 3.5% of GDP in Latvia.
