Ombudsman meets with international experts about health-care system in Latvia

On 3rd July Ombudsman Juris Jansons and Head of Social, economic and cultural rights Ineta Rezevska met with international experts and discussed about health-care system in Latvia, work of the Health Inspectorate and Ombudsman’s suggestions for further improvement.

Expert team perfoming peer evaluation in Latvia on expert servies in healthcare quality and patient safety domain. The focus of the meeting was to discuss Ombudsman’s view on the health-care system and supervisory role of the Health Inspectorate and its contribution to develop and improve health care in Latvia, as well as views on integrity and  transparency of the Inspectorate.

Ombudsman informed the experts that complaints regarding violation in health-care have been received at the Office; he pointed to the critically low funding for the system and insufficient remuneration of medical personnel. Ombudsman stresses the importance of expert ualification in the Health Inspectorate and ensure objectivity of inspections and decisions, as well as precention informing patients about their rights and medical personnel about attitude towards patients and explaining them about treatment and procedures.