Conditions to apply for State paid services

In order to provide patients with more accessible, timely, and high-quality healthcare, amendments have been made to the Cabinet of Ministers' regulations of August 28, 2018, No. 555 titled "Procedures for the Organization and Payment of Healthcare Services," as well as to the list of manipulations associated with these regulations.

The National Health Service of Latvia has summarized the changes in healthcare organization and payment procedures resulting from the amendments made. The compilation includes information on changes in the range of state-paid services, as well as the organization and payment of primary, secondary outpatient, and inpatient healthcare, including psychiatric and rehabilitation services.

The following are the most significant changes concerning the range of state-paid healthcare services:

1. expanded range of services in gynecology;
2. starting from now, patients with disability group I, determined by evidence of mental and/or behavioral disorders, are exempt from paying for tooth extraction under general anesthesia in acute situations. This service is provided by VSIA "Paula Stradins Clinical University Hospital";
3. starting from July 1, 2019, the screening of newborns for genetically inherited diseases will be expanded to include four new examinations aimed at the early detection of treatable pathologies;
4. expanded range of services in urology;
5. starting from May 17, 2019, patients are required to make a co-payment of 5.00 euros for treatment in inpatient rehabilitation profile beds starting from the second day. The National Health Service of Latvia will cover the difference of 5.00 euros between the new rehabilitation co-payment and the co-payment for in-patient treatment in medical institutions.

The full text of the summary can be found here: Changes in health care organization and payment procedures

• Information on outpatient services paid for by the state
• Information on state-paid inpatient services
• There are certain healthcare services that are not paid for from the state budget
• When receiving healthcare services, a person makes a patient co-payment
• Population groups exempted from patient co-payments
• A referral from a family doctor is not necessary for direct access to specialists doctors