The health care system includes all the people, institutions and resources involved in health services.
Health care system in Latvia
The Medical Treatment Law of Latvia defines health care as
“a set of measures implemented by health care service providers for the provision, maintenance and restoring of the health of patients”.
Some groups are the priority of the national health care system. In Latvia, these are pregnant women, children and persons with a foreseeable disability.
You will find more detailed regulations regarding health care services in the Medical Treatment Law, Health Care Financing Law and Cabinet Regulation No. 555 ‘Procedures for the Organisation of and Payment for Health Care Services’.
Actors in the health care system
The main actors who interact in the health care system are:
1. The State
- formulates and adopts health-related laws and policies
- establishes and supervises a network of hospitals, clinics and other medical institutions
- certifies medical professionals
- adopts budget / financing policies
- manages the health information system (e.g., e-veselība)
- determines liability in case of violations
- protects patients’ rights in case of violation
2. The health service providers (medical personnel, institutions and associations) provide medical care
3. The general public interacts with the health service providers and receives medical care. This also includes non-governmental organisations.
Different types of health care
You may get different types of health care depending on the condition of your health:
When a person is in a critical condition and their life is in danger.
When a person has an injury, an acute disease, or the exacerbation of a chronic disease and requires urgent intervention by medical practitioners.
When a person requires medical treatment, including a stay in a hospital.
example Surgery or a medical procedure that requires monitoring.
When a person requires a type of treatment that is complex or risky but does not require a stay in hospital
example Chemotherapy, small surgery or in the case of diagnostics.
When a person requires medical attention through the use of ambulatory services. This is usually non-urgent care: a patient visits a doctor at a specified date and time.
example Consultation with a doctor or an examination.
When a person cannot attend a medical institution due to their health condition.
example If a person requires rehabilitation after surgery or serious illness.
- Medical rehabilitation
When a person has functional restrictions, rehabilitation helps eliminate or reduce them.
When a person has suffered from a disease, rehabilitation helps to assess and prevent complications.
Health care services are not free of charge. They may be:
- privately funded (by the patient or a third party)