RIGA, Jan 13 (LETA) - Covid-19 situation has caused "abnormal overburden" for family physicians, and they are in need of a government-funded assistants, said Liga Kozlovska, the head of the Latvian Association of Rural Family Physicians, in an interview with the Latvian public television.

She said that family physicians are receiving more and more patients every day, more calls, messages and e-mails in respect to Covid-19 and other health problems. Family physicians also are organizing vaccination against Covid-19, making personal calls to convince patients to come and get their vaccines.

"Psychological overburden for our teams is high," she said. Kozlovska reminded that family physicians have been asking the Health Ministry to ensure government-paid third assistant in practices for a while, but this issue has not been solved.

The Health Ministry earlier seemingly supported the proposal, but the progress on this matter has stopped. "As I understand, the coalition partners have told the government that medics already have enough money," she said.

Family physicians on Wednesday sent another letter to the prime minister and finance minister, inviting them to meet with the medical associations and solve this issue fast and constructively.