70 people may have contracted an acute gastrointestinal infection in Liepāja after eating their lunch in a Baltic Restaurants canteen at Lauma Lingerie company, the Center for Disease Prevention and Control representative Ilze Araja informed the LETA newswire November 28.
Medics staged another demonstration outside Saeima November 28, protesting against the provisions for the healthcare sector provided in the budget, which was promulgated into law by President Egils Levits November 27.
61 children in a Smiltene Secondary School building have fallen ill with an intestinal infection due to a virus, according to Center for Disease Prevention and Control (SPKC) Epidemiologist Rita Korotinska.
Next year, the lowest monthly salaries for medical workers might rise by 20 percent for medical residents and by 10 percent for other staff, according to the Health Ministry's proposal the government is due to consider on November 12, reported the LETA newswire.
On Thursday, November 7 hundreds of healthcare workers protested in front of Saeima. They're calling the protest “One day without medical practitioners”. This was one of two protests on that morning, as a separate regional reform picket was also taking place.
In the hope of getting more funding for the medical profession, healthcare workers will hold a meeting and a picket at the Saeima on November 7, journalists were told by representatives of medics' unions October 29.
In taking on the “Diagnosis - cancer” multimedia project, LTV and LSM.lv were surprised by the amount of people who mentioned communication with doctors as one of the main problems in their diagnosis and treatment process. The issues are most acute when it comes to diagnosis, as well as during discussions about further treatment for patients. No one likes presenting or hearing bad news, but communication issues plague the Latvian medical system from diagnosis, to notifying the next of kin in cases of death.
Doctor competence varies greatly in Latvia when it comes to detecting cancer in its early stages. Most general practitioners detect one to five instances of early stage cancer per year. There are some doctors with a three times better result, however others have not diagnosed any cases.
Each year 11,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in Latvia, contributing to the total of 77,000 people suffering from oncological diseases. Patient organisations have calculated that cancer directly or indirectly affects one-fifth of the population, taking into account patients' families, friends and those involved with patient care.
In Latvia 16 people lose their lives to cancer every single day. Proportionally, this is a higher percentage than in Estonia and Lithuania, and it’s too much. Everyone knows that cancer kills, and sometimes very quickly, so this diagnosis causes alarm for patients, relatives and society as a whole.
Youth radio station pieci.lv ha s revealed the beneficiary of this year's "Dod pieci" (Gimme five) charity marathon with money raised this time around going to provide palliative care for terminally ill patients.
By October 7, the number of people infected with tick-borne encephalitis in Latvia this year has increased by 6.8 percent as compared to 2018, according to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
Around 20% of medical students are not planning to apply for residency in Latvia, representatives of the Latvian Junior Doctors Association informed LETA, citing a survey of would-be physicians.
On October 2 the healthcare working group of the American Chamber of Commerce in Latvia (AmCham) said it had delivered what it called a "vision statement" on Latvian healthcare to Ilze Vinkele, Minister of Health.
National Health Service director Inga Milaševiča will step down after the Health Ministry has launched a disciplinary case against her, the ministry said September 30.
A United States Army medical facility is showcasing an innovative Latvian hi-tech product online.
Investigating the outbreak of intestinal infection in Sigulda, the Food and Veterinary Service (PVD) suspended operations of a vegetable processing plant in Jelgava, the service reported.
Three children from Sigulda hospitalized for food poisoning earlier this week are still in serious condition, Children's Clinical University Hospital spokeswoman Vita Šteina told LETA today.
Plans to reform the health service to improve its efficiency and effectiveness might include the establishment of a series of "strategically important regional hospitals" according to a Health Ministry briefing presented by the minister, Ilze Viņķele.
A recent survey by the SKDS pollster says that 87% of Latvian residents think healthcare availability is bad to average.
A gradual transition from three-person to two-person ambulance crews by 2026 is one of the solutions proposed in the pre-hospital emergency medical service strategy 2020, Liene Cipule, director of the Emergency Medical Service (NMPD), said at a news conference August 28, reported the LETA newswire.
Latvia continues to see a drop in the number of medics working in the country, falling its lowest level in the past six years, according to statistics from the Center for Disease Prevention and Control cited by the LETA newswire August 24.
Baltic states Lithuania and Latvia have significantly more drownings each year than other European Union member states, according to the latest statistics from Eurostat.
Tick activity levels have changed little since last year, concludes the Latvian Center for Infectology on August 11. Approximately 25% of the ticks tested so far in the center’s laboratory have been identified to carry Lyme disease. In contrast, only about 1% of ticks carried encephalitis.
Hospitals in Latvia will not be closed, but from now they will be able to provide only the services that are of sufficient quality, said Health Minister Ilze Viņķele in an interview with Dienas Bizness on July 31.
The State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD) has already lifted 60 drowning victims from various waters since the beginning of 2019, reported LSM.lv on July 30. The actual number of drowning victims, however, is higher, according to VUGD.
Hepatitis C could be eradicated with existing funding and effective drugs if problematic access to specialists was resolved, said Kristaps Kaugurs, spokesman for the Hepatitis C Patients, in an interview on Latvian Television on July 23.
Tick activity levels are slightly higher than last year. Individual cases of ehrlichiosis, however, are lower, according to epidemiologist at the Center for Disease prevention and Control Antra Bormane, reported LSM's Latvian service on July 10.
Narcologists express support of the Health Ministry's (VM) plan for reducing alcohol consumption, reported LSM's Latvian service on July 5. The Riga Center for Psychiatry and Narcology noted that the ministry's planned restrictions are aimed primarily at adolescents.
Children with autism, Down's syndrome and other developmental disorders have begun acquiring sign language, which allows nonverbal or minimally verbal children to communicate more effectively with their families, reported Latvian Television on July 6. The Latvian Portage Association offers sign language teaching services as part of their early correction program.