Elderly woman dies in yard in Latgale after failing to reach emergency medical service

A tragedy has occurred in Tilža, in the Balvi municipality of Latgale, where a 70-year-old woman collapsed in her yard next to her daughter's car. The case was reported by the program "Bez tabu".

At the time of the incident, neighbors rushed to help and tried repeatedly to call the State Emergency Medical Service (NMPD), but for a long time were unable to get through. It turned out that the local NMPD post in Tilža was empty at that moment, as the crew had been ordered to go on duty in Balvi instead.

Neighbors step in to help

One of the neighbors ran to a nearby couple who both work for NMPD, although neither was on duty at the time. Together, the people present tried to help the elderly woman as best they could, including performing artificial respiration and chest compressions while waiting for professional medics to arrive.

Only after roughly 40 minutes, with the help of the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD) acting as an intermediary, was contact with NMPD finally established. However, help arrived too late, and the woman could not be saved.

The incident has drawn attention to the availability of emergency medical care in Latvia's regions, particularly in more sparsely populated areas, where crews are sometimes reassigned to other locations, leaving certain territories without direct coverage.