Latvia’s Health Minister on difficulties booking specific doctors: digital system could help
Health Minister Hosams Abu Meri has acknowledged that booking a specific specialist has become increasingly difficult and mentioned the creation of a unified digital appointment system as a solution.
Visits to a chosen specialist have become noticeably harder to arrange in recent years, and clinics often steer patients towards another doctor whose schedule has the earliest opening. A viewer of the TV24 programme “On the Line” asked Health Minister Hosams Abu Meri why free choice of a specific physician no longer works and whether the rules could be reviewed.
Abu Meri admitted the issue is genuine and affects medical staff as well. He said his own appointment book is full, and many other doctors face similar pressure. One possible way forward, he suggested, would be a shared digital booking platform. It would let patients and general practitioners see at a glance where the nearest available slots are with a specialist in a particular field, whether in Riga or elsewhere in the country.
The minister also explained that guaranteeing access to a named doctor is not always realistic. Some physicians split their time between several practices, and those working in regions may see patients only on certain days. As a result, demand frequently outweighs what is available.
Patients, Abu Meri said, should take advantage of the option to see another qualified doctor if they can, rather than spending months waiting for a particular physician to free up. In the longer run, a digital appointment system would make booking information more transparent and help people find their way through the healthcare system.
