Latvia

Health systems in transition
Latvia
urban areas compared to LVL 22.19 in rural areas; and in the case of expenses
for outpatient care it was LVL 14.38 in urban and LVL 6.61 in rural areas
(Section 3.4 Revenue collection/sources of funds, Subsection Out-of-pocket
payments). Lower spending on health care in rural areas tends to be associated
both with lower incomes and with reduced access to services due to lack of
availability.
Poor access to health care services delays diagnosis of illnesses, resulting in
complications and higher treatment expenses. The survey “Latvian population
income level and health care access” has shown that low income levels are
associated with higher hospitalization rates, and therefore higher treatment costs
than timely outpatient diagnosis and treatment (Karaskevica 2003).
Health challenges for people with disabilities
Latvian public organizations struggle for the rights of disabled people with
regard to social and environmental accessibility. The association “Apeirons”
focuses on different problems faced by disabled people, organizes activities,
takes part in the education of society in general and submits proposals to
decision-makers.
At the time of writing in Latvia there are no effective measures for reducing
disability, due to insufficient funding for health care, for reimbursed drugs and
for medical and social rehabilitation. While there have been some improvements,
limited progress has been made to date.
In June 2005 the Government adopted a document entitled “Basic statements
for a policy to reduce disability and its consequences”, developed by the Ministry
of Welfare. The main emphasis is on prevention of disability and promotion
of a well-equipped, stable and friendly environment in order to favour the
integration of disabled people into society. This includes the basic principles
of disability prevention and social protection policy, along with key aims and
priorities for the next 10 years.
Participants in the Health Survey of the Population of Latvia 2003 were
asked about long-term limitations to activity, lasting more than 6 months.
The most common health problems causing long-term limitations to activity
included musculoskeletal illnesses (34% of respondents), impaired eyesight
(33.2%) and illnesses of the heart, blood vessels and lungs (31.3%). In addition,
women mentioned illnesses of the nervous system (Central Statistical Bureau
of Latvia 2004).
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