State-funded eye doctor visits at Valka polyclinic may end next year
There is a risk that from 1 January 2027 the Valka polyclinic in northern Latvia will no longer offer state-funded ophthalmologist services. The local municipality is negotiating with the Ministry of Health, the hospital and the National Health Service to find a solution.
Residents of Valka municipality, in northern Latvia, may lose access to state-funded eye doctor (ophthalmologist) services at the Valka polyclinic, run by Vidzeme Hospital Ltd, from 1 January 2027. The municipality, which says the cause is bureaucratic obstacles, has confirmed the risk.
Talks on keeping the service
Since May, the municipality has been in active contact with the Ministry of Health, Vidzeme Hospital and the National Health Service about whether an eye doctor will be available in Valka next year. The next conversation with all three parties is scheduled for 5 November.
Vents Armands Krauklis, chairman of the municipality, says the new tender conditions, which determine which services receive state funding, are unfavourable for Valka. He argues the situation is not normal, because the polyclinic has a good specialist, a properly equipped office and patients who need the care. If the talks fail, the municipality intends to ask public media for support.
Appointment situation
On Friday, 30 October, the news outlet Ziemeļlatvija tried to book an appointment online through the E-pieraksts system with ophthalmologist Rudīte Putna at the Valka polyclinic. When it selected a state-funded slot, the system displayed a message saying all open appointment times were taken. A paid slot was available at the beginning of November.
Possible costs
The Valka polyclinic price list published on Vidzeme Hospital's website, approved on 2 June 2026, sets the fee for a paid ophthalmologist consultation at 50 euros. If state-funded visits disappeared, residents, especially older people, would have to expect considerable costs.
