Riga, Jan 13 (LETA) - The financial resources obtained as a result of the hospital network reform will be distributed, leaving 50 percent for outpatient and day hospital services, while 50 percent will be allocated to the hospital to which the patient flow will be redirected, according to the informative report on the development of the hospital network, widely criticized by the sector and considered by the government on Tuesday.

Moreover, in the context of national security, the changes do not envisage closures of hospitals.

The hospital reform should therefore not have a significant impact on hospital budgets, the Health Ministry believes.

The planned changes in emergency medicine and admission departments will not significantly change the overall funding of hospital care, but will redistribute funding among healthcare institutions depending on the actual services provided, the ministry explained.

The aim of the hospital network reform is to distribute existing funding in a more targeted and justified way, including by eliminating payments for services that are not actually provided by hospitals, the ministry explained.

The report sets deadlines for a number of tasks to implement the reform.

By June 1, 2026, the Health Ministry plans to prepare a proposal for the division of hospital treatment facilities into tiers, to review the network of emergency medicine and patient admission wards, and to set new requirements for the staff of these wards. At the same time, the ministry intends to start discussions with hospitals on the principles of cooperation in organizing patient flows and providing services, differentiating between emergency medicine and patient admission wards and urgent care wards.

At the same time, the ministry pointed out that in the long term, by linking funding to quality indicators, actual performance, patient safety and quality of services will play a more important role in hospital financing from 2028 than volume of services alone.

Systematic monitoring of the adequacy of the performance of emergency and admission departments of healthcare facilities is to be implemented by mid-2027.

In the context of national security, the changes in the hospital network will not entail the closure of specific hospitals. However, tailor-made solutions will be envisaged, taking into account regional specifics, e.g. for hospitals located on the Eastern border. Each hospital case will be assessed individually and the best possible solution will be agreed with each hospital and the local authority, the ministry promised.

As reported, the Latvian Association of Hospitals (LSB) in negotiations with the Health Ministry has demanded revision of the hospital network reform and to set a concrete target for it. The LSB has insisted that no reform can take place without additional funding, pointing out that the planned changes in the hospital network, according to the association, also require additional funding. So far, however, the public emphasis in the context of the reform has been more on optimizing funding.

The LSB has also raised the question of what could be done with hospital premises in the event of a potential reduction in services, e.g. how they could be reprofiled and whether other healthcare services could be provided.