Children are a particularly vulnerable group, both physically and mentally, so it is important to take additional actions to properly protect children’s right to health. This includes the timely prevention of diseases, access to adequate medical treatment and rehabilitation and measures aimed at reducing mortality at a young age and ensuring a healthy life.
Access to health care
Children are one of the groups of people who have been given priority in the Latvian health care system.
Children with special needs are entitled to the same standard of health care offered to other children in Latvia. Families with children who have special needs may receive additional services, for example, a psychologist’s consultations.
Free health care for children
All children are released from the patient co-payment for State-funded health care services.
Read more about State-paid health services in this Guide.
Every child has the right to undergo regular preventive measures:
- visits to a family doctor (general practitioner)
- visit to an ophthalmologist
- dental hygiene
- vaccination per vaccination calendar
The number of State-funded visits depends on a child’s age.
Decision-making concerning a child’s health
The Law on the Rights of Patients specifies that patients who are minors have, according to their age and maturity:
- the right to receive information about their treatment
- the right to be heard in decision-making process about their treatment
- the right to take part in decisions about their treatment
The degree of participation in decision-making about treatment (e.g., consent to treatment) depends on the age. Before a child turns 14 years of age, consent is provided by a parent (or another legal representative), yet starting from 14 years of age, a child can provide consent on their own.
In all decisions concerning the health of a child, their best interests need to be a priority.
example A child aged 15 refuses a medical procedure because the child is scared. However, the doctors consider that the procedure is crucial for the child’s treatment. In this case, a parent may provide consent instead, taking the best interests of the child into account.