Health Ministry Asks for €88,694 for Asylum Seekers' Healthcare

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has asked the government to allocate €88,694 from the state budget's contingency program to cover expenses for healthcare services provided to asylum seekers during the first six months of 2026.

Most of the requested amount—€74,371—is intended for the National Health Service (NHS). These funds will compensate medical institutions for primary, secondary outpatient, and inpatient care provided to asylum seekers from January 1 to June 30 this year.

The remaining €14,323 will go to the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) to cover 72 emergency calls made to asylum seekers in the same period. Of those calls, 56 occurred at the "Mucenieki" asylum seeker center in Ropaži County, seven at the detention center for foreigners in Daugavpils, seven at the "Liepnas" asylum seeker center in Alūksne County, and two at the Interior Ministry's health and sports center unit "Dzintari" in Jūrmala. According to the EMS price list, one ambulance call costs €198.93.

The MoH explains that funding for asylum seeker healthcare is not included in its regular budget because the number of people and related expenses cannot be predicted—a factor influenced by the geopolitical situation. Therefore, these costs must be covered from the state budget's contingency funds.