Child Healthcare a Priority Only on Paper in Latvia, as Regions Lack Specialists
Child healthcare is officially a priority in Latvia, but in many regions specialists do not actually see children, according to a State Audit Office review and media reporting. A new early child development support system and digital check-ups are being prepared.
Healthcare for children and pregnant women is officially a priority in Latvia, but in practice, especially outside Riga, there are often too few specialists who actually see young patients. This was concluded by the newspaper Latvijas Avīze while preparing a report for the project "Complicated Latvia", produced with several regional media outlets. No changes are expected next year either.
New support system
On 1 October the Saeima, Latvia's parliament, adopted amendments to the Law on the Protection of the Rights of the Child and four other laws to introduce an early child development support system. Its aim is to detect developmental risks in time and give parents and doctors clear recommendations. Studies indicate such risks exist in about 20% of children, yet only a small share are noticed. The State Chancellery forecasts that coordinated support could allow up to 80% of children to be identified. The project is backed by the European Social Fund, with planned costs of 2.9 million euros. The new preventive check-up will be piloted in Cēsis municipality, Daugavpils, Jēkabpils and Ogre municipality from December 2026 to mid-2028.
The Children's Clinical University Hospital, together with family doctor associations, is reworking check-ups for children from birth to age six. According to paediatrician Jana Pavāre, doctors until now relied on 2006 Cabinet regulations, while the new forms will be digital and evidence-based. Parents will also have a "homework" task of observing their child's development. Children in risk groups will be referred to specialists such as ophthalmologists or otolaryngologists and placed in a priority queue at the hospital.
Audit findings
The State Audit Office found that families paid about 14.5 million euros out of pocket for children's healthcare, against 93 million euros from the state, of which 33 million went to children's dentistry. Mobile dental buses in Latgale reportedly have only a dental hygienist, while the wait for a dentist can be six months to a year.
Optometrist Aiga Švede notes that Latvia has 233 ophthalmologists and 219 optometrists, yet few children receive state-paid vision checks: up to 50% in the first age group and under 20% in the next two. When auditors phoned regional medical facilities in January and February, they found that most listed places did not serve children and waiting times often differed from those published. There is also no official check on whether an institution actually accepts children.
