Rēzekne conference to ask whether Latvia's healthcare can function in a crisis
A high-level conference in Rēzekne on October 15 will bring together officials, healthcare and pharmaceutical representatives, and European experts to assess Latvia's readiness for extreme situations. Discussions will cover emergency services, drug supply and cross-sector coordination.
On October 15, the Latgale Embassy GORS in Rēzekne will host the high-level conference "The First Line of Defense: Healthcare and Pharmacy in National Resilience." The event aims to bring together Latvian decision-makers, healthcare and pharmaceutical industry representatives, and European experts to identify weaknesses in the system and agree on steps to take now.
Speakers include Riccardo Rubini of Medicines for Europe, who will address European drug supply security; Ando Leppimans, head of the Estonian Stockpiling Agency, sharing Estonia's experience; and Andrii Metelskiy, head of the Ukrainian subsidiary of Olpha, who will discuss drug supply chains and business continuity under wartime conditions.
Emergency services readiness and resources
Liene Cipule, director of Latvia's Emergency Medical Service (NMPD), notes that while the service's core mission stays the same in a crisis, the scale of demand and resource availability change — for instance, a lack of fuel could prevent crews from reaching patients. Arvis Zīle, head of the State Chancellery's Crisis Management Centre, stresses that healthcare resilience is a national security matter, since civilian hospitals would also treat soldiers during a military threat. He names three priorities: sufficient medical staff, fast decision-making, and coordination with other sectors such as electricity, communications and logistics.
Local drug production as a security resource
Latvia imports at least 95% of its medications, yet remains the only Baltic state with full-cycle pharmaceutical manufacturers. Signe Jantone, executive director of the Association of Latvian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, argues that producers must be included in resilience planning alongside doctors, hospitals and crisis management authorities. She also points to the EU's Critical Medicines Act, aimed at strengthening regional manufacturing capacity. The conference runs October 15 from 11:00 to 16:15, with Latvian and English as working languages.
