In case of signs of cardiac arrest, the defibrillator should be used in the first minutes to save life until professional help arrives. The implementation deadlines have been extended because they could not be purchased in time. It was also not clear how many and for whom they should be purchased.
"We jointly came up with a solution that [..] the state will buy these external automatic defibrillators for those municipal institutions and schools, sports schools, which are not commercially active and now this procurement is taking place," said Sanita Janka, Director of the Health Department at the Ministry of Health.
Companies, and state and municipal authorities will have to buy defibrillators at their own expense. The cost of one defibrillator is estimated at between €2,000 and €2,500.
According to the ministry, there have been many objections to the introduction of these rules from both employers and local authorities.
"Of course, we understand that this is an investment, that this defibrillator costs money, that it has to be maintained, and that the moment it has worked and this discharge has occurred, it has to be replaced, but if we do the math, is one human life worth €2,500?" says Janka.
One of the companies that have installed defibrillators is the supermarket chain Rimi. Almost 60 stores are equipped with them.
"We also carry out regular staff training. If it's the big stores, the hypermarkets, which we have both in Riga and in the regions, then it's most often the store management team. In the case of hypermarkets, it's also senior cashiers," says Inga Bite, PR Manager at Rimi Latvia.
The defibrillators are easy to use and require no special training, and the equipment provides clear instructions. It can be identified by a white cabinet with a green heart symbol and the sign AED.
In Latvia, defibrillators are available in major chain stores, at the airport, and other places. In 2026, defibrillators must be deployed in all public places with more than 1,500-person traffic constantly. As of September 1 next year, defibrillators must be in educational establishments.
