Apinis: Real Health Care Funding in Latvia May Shrink Even Without Budget Cuts
Former health minister Pēteris Apinis says real health care funding in Latvia could fall because of inflation and higher fuel and electricity prices. He says the next health minister will have to find solutions with limited resources.
Real funding for health care in Latvia may decline even if the amount set aside in the state budget is not formally reduced. This was stated on the TV24 programme “Preses klubs” (Press Club) by Pēteris Apinis, a former Latvian state minister of health and former president of the Latvian Medical Association. The programme was published on 30 October 2026 and discussed the challenges the sector may face.
According to Apinis, funding could be affected by inflation, as well as by rising fuel and electricity prices. He doubts that the government will manage to attract additional money for health care. In his view, a policy of restraining state spending could mean that the sector's funding will not increase significantly.
Looking for solutions
The next health minister will therefore have to find ways to ensure health care services under such conditions. Apinis stresses that in some cases treatment at home can be cheaper and more suitable for the patient than treatment in hospital. He adds that hospitals also carry a risk of exposure to various microorganisms and infections.
Criticism of the Soviet-era model
Apinis criticises the approach that has historically persisted in Latvia, based on the Soviet-era health care model in which every populated place was meant to have its own hospital. In his view, some of these institutions also serve social functions, yet the public still holds the belief that proper treatment is possible only in hospital.
He notes that many chronic illnesses can now be treated with medicines in tablet form, so inpatient treatment is not always necessary.
