From the 18,700 nurses registered in Latvia, less than half - a total 8,750 - work in healthcare. Most often they choose to work as beauticians, said Dita Raiska, head of the Latvian Nurses' Association.
Nurses choose not to work in their primary profession as private sector jobs offer better wages.
Raiska said that currently nurses are paid an average €760 a month, while the association wants nurses' wages to grow €100 after taxes by 2020. While in Lithuania the average wage for a nurse is about €740 and €1,000 in Estonia.
Increasing the wages would allow to return nurses to work in their primary profession and solve personnel shortages, claimed Raiska.
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