Latvia

Health systems in transition
Latvia
The private sector
The private health sector in Latvia includes institutions that have been privatized,
namely some polyclinics and almost all dental practices and pharmacies, as
well as independent primary care practices that have emerged in recent years
following the efforts to develop this form of institutional setting for PHC. Both
private and independent providers (like all public providers) must contract
with the SCHIA in order to be reimbursed for services provided within the
statutory health care system. In addition, they may offer further services for
private patients.
The full range of PHC services is available for patients through out-of-pocket
(OOP) payments and VHI. Services provided mainly in the private sector
include certain advanced diagnostic services, spa treatment, psychotherapy
and almost all dental services (in general, all services excluded from statutory
provision (Section 3.3 Population coverage and basis for entitlement). A very
small portion of the hospital sector is privately owned.
The private (non-statutory) system offers higher quality and greater freedom
of choice for the patient, but is financially out of reach for the majority of the
population (for more information on this topic see Subsection Privatization in
Section 2.4 Decentralization and centralization).
Other private health care organizations include private (voluntary) insurance
companies, pharmaceutical and medical devices producers and distributors.
Office of the Ombudsman Latvia
Improvements in the area of patient rights has been triggered by the establishment
in 2001 of the NGO Patients’ Rights Office of Latvia, founded and financed
by The Soros Foundation. This NGO is composed of lawyers and medical
doctors representing the interests of patients, providing them with information
about patient’s rights, promoting the policy of the State in the patients’ rights
field, resolving problems in connection with the provision of quality care, and
preventing violations of human rights and patients’ rights in the field of health
care. In 2007 the Patients’ Rights Office of Latvia discontinued its activity due
to financial and organizational reasons. Responsibilities were taken over by the
Office of the Ombudsman.
Voluntary and nongovernmental organizations
There are a large number of registered health-related NGOs in Latvia. The
Internet site www.dr.lv lists 130 of these. In 2005, six active organizations
signed collaborative agreements with the Ministry of Health:
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