“Wait 12 Years?” The List of the Most Inaccessible Medical Services in Latvia is Shocking
There are a total of 12 such services. Latvian television has gathered information on which medical services in Latvia have the longest waiting times.
According to the National Health Service, the queues for inpatient services are nowhere near those for knee or hip replacement surgeries. For example, to get into Madona Hospital for dynamic observation after a knee replacement, one must wait 396 weeks, or over 7 years and 7 months.
On average, this service takes 4 years to access nationwide. Currently, there are 5,346 patients waiting for knee replacement surgery. On average, to undergo this operation at one of the nine hospitals where it is performed, one must wait two years and one month. However, for instance, the queue at the “Gaiļezers” clinic of the Riga Eastern Clinical University Hospital is less than a year. Thus, the length of the queue depends on which institution a person approaches.
Latvian television has compiled a list of medical institutions where the waiting time for state-funded examinations is the longest, but this does not mean that it cannot be obtained faster elsewhere. The leader is electromyography, which assesses the condition of muscles and nerves. If you need this service at the Riga health center “Aura-R,” you will have to wait more than 12 years, while the average wait time across the country is one and a half years. For example, in Daugavpils, the wait for this examination is less than a year.
A similar situation exists with several ultrasound examinations and Doppler ultrasound of the vessels of the head and neck at the Riga 1st City Hospital. On average, one has to wait about six months for these state-funded examinations in the country, while at the Riga 1st City Hospital, the wait is 3 years and 8 months.
Of course, in many regions, these examinations can be completed within 1-2 months if you have the patience to call the registration office or can travel, for example, to Ludza, Kraslava, Balvi, Ventspils, or other cities.