Rural Latvia struggles to find successors for retiring family doctors

The average age of family doctors in Latvia has reached 55, but the situation outside Riga is even more strained, with a large share of doctors in regional areas already at retirement or pre-retirement age.

Attracting young doctors to work outside the capital continues to be a challenge. Local municipalities have tried to address the problem by offering scholarships, practice placements and other forms of support, but this does not always guarantee that a doctor willing to take over an existing practice can be found.

An example from Aizkraukle illustrates how lengthy this process can be: a local doctor there managed to find a successor to take over her practice only after three years of searching.

Situation critical in some municipalities

The Latvian Rural Family Doctors' Association warns that in some municipalities the situation is even more serious, with more than half of practicing family doctors already having reached retirement age. This means that in the coming years these areas risk facing an even more pronounced shortage of family doctors if successors are not found and trained in time.

The problem affects not only individual municipalities but could also impact the wider healthcare system in Latvia's regions, since family doctors are often the first and main point of contact for residents seeking medical care outside the largest cities.