On Monday, information about the exhausted quota for breast reconstruction surgeries was made public. 40 women had their planned surgeries canceled.
Health Minister Hosams Abu Meri (New Unity) confirmed to Latvian Television that this year there will be no additional funds for breast reconstruction after cancer surgery.
The Health Minister explained that funds have already been found for an additional 39 operations this year, with more than 370 patients operated on in total. However, the Riga East Clinical University Hospital (RAKUS) has to plan its work within the allocated quotas and cannot rely on additional funds being available at the end of the year.
"Unfortunately, it is a question of organization. If an institution gets used to being able to use up all its quota in the first half of the year, what happens to those who are registered in October or November? They are transferred to January, February, or March of the following year. And that is not right. In the last month of the year, November or December, the State always found the funds to cover their overload. You know the budget. We don't have those funds," said the Minister.
The RAKUS Oncology Centre Customer Service Department has indications that some appointments may be closed for this year and patients may be transferred to the next year.
Haralds Plaudis, RAKUS Board Member, said: "We have several such programs. Radiotherapy, which is also provided to oncology patients, and breast and abdominal aortic reconstructive surgeries - we have overbooked there as well, which means that we will have to plan for very few or in some cases even none of these patients. Of course, this drags into next year."
The same applies to outpatients. Plaudis gave the example that this year, it will no longer be possible to see a rheumatologist or an anaesthetist at public expense. If a rheumatologist is seen for a paid visit, the doctor cannot prescribe state-reimbursed medicines, which makes the patient's treatment even more expensive.
The situation is similar at the Pauls Stradins University Hospital (PSKUS).
Džineta Heinrihsone, a member of the PSKUS board, said: "Breast reconstructive surgery is by no means the only service for which the currently allocated state funding has been absorbed. Similarly, there are areas such as pneumonology, neurology, nephrology, which also include patients after kidney transplants. We had also asked for additional funding, but have not yet received a positive response."
Jevgēņijs Kalējs, Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Hospital Association, said: "The length of queues is getting wildly longer. This means that next year we will treat this year's patients, and then the year after that. There are already hospitals that are putting patients on the waiting list not for next year, but for the year after. This is already happening."
The queues are longer in large hospitals and also for certain specialists, as well as for expensive examinations such as MRIs, but it is possible to get in elsewhere, said the National Health Service (NVD).
"Just because it is the end of the year does not mean that quotas are over everywhere. There are services where it is not necessary to go directly to a university-level hospital. You can go to a clinic, a health center, or a specialist practice. For example, an otolaryngologist, a gynecologist, an ophthalmologist," said Evija Štālberga, a spokesperson for the NHS.
Hospitals added that this year the rules of the game in contractual relations with the state have changed. Previously, money from unused examinations could be redistributed to other patients, but this is no longer the case.
