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Healthcare budget lacks LVL 43.96 million

By Editor. 07.10.2009

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LVL 43.96 million are needed to ensure provision of healthcare services until the end of this year.

In order to ensure provision of healthcare services until the end of this year and settle the delayed payments for healthcare staff salaries, an additional LVL 43.96 million will be needed over the two remaining months this year, Health Ministry outlines in its report on the use of financing in hospitals, and on cuts of healthcare sector's administrative expenses informs Leta.

The report was meant to be presented to the government today, however, the Cabinet of Ministers postponed reviewing the report, urging the Health Ministry to harmonize it with the Finance Ministry first, and seek specific solutions for obtaining additional funding.

The report outlines that several factors led to the accumulation of a close to LVL 45 million deficit, for example, and unpaid patients' fees, unpaid bills for healthcare services provided to residents of Latvia in other European Union or the European Economic Area countries.

The Health Ministry has increased the share of revenue from the State Agency of Medicines of Latvia used for financing hospitals; it has distributed the money among the 12 largest hospitals of Latvia, however, the additionally obtained LVL 3.9 million is not enough to provide healthcare services until the end of 2009: LVL 43.96 million more are needed.