Opticians propose that the Ministry of Health urgently set up a working group to prevent the collapse of the sector, otherwise 9 out of 10 opticians' shops could close down.
Optometrists legally became medical practitioners several years ago. In Latvia, medical practitioners can only work in medical institutions. Businesses have so far been slow to adapt to the new requirements because, for example, it is not possible to do so in shopping malls, where most opticians' shops are located. To become a medical institution, a number of requirements have to be met, such as building a separate entrance.
Eight Fielmann shops are no longer entitled to offer optometrists' services.
"As one of the opticians, we are being held hostage, it feels like giving up. You come to work and you have become an illegal", said Antons Stepanovs, CEO of Fielmann.
Businessman Jānis Kossovičs also admits that the industry is now working in a semi-illegal status. He points out that optometrists are mainly employed by opticians' shops.
"Nowhere in Europe is there such a requirement that an optometrist cannot work in an opticians' shop," stressed Kossovičs.
The Latvian Association of Optometrists and Opticians said that it had long and insistently asked the Ministry of Health to sort out these issues. However, the recommendations have not been taken into account.
Latvian citizens will no longer be able to have their vision checked in opticians' salons and the already long queues to see an ophthalmologist will grow. There are 230 opticians' shops in Latvia, of which 25 have managed to register as a medical institution in four years.
Kristīne Detkova, Chairwoman of the Latvian Association of Optometrists and Opticians, said: "Business is going out of business. Because 80% of glasses are prescribed by an optometrist. This means the closure of shops."
The Ministry of Health promises to comment further after a meeting with the industry association.
"Until now, the issue had not come to our attention. Now it has," said Artjoms Urszulskis, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Health.
Optometrists point out that it is necessary to amend the Cabinet of Ministers' regulations to exempt optometrists as medical practitioners entitled to provide services in opticians' shops.
