Medicine in Latvia

Many Russians choose Latvia to buy a second home. Partly the high interest in this country on the part of our compatriots is due to the fact that since mid-2010 legislation has come into force here, according to which you can get a residence permit in exchange for buying real estate. The Latvian health care system is developing dynamically, but despite this, in most of the branches of medicine here still lags behind Western European ones. However, in some areas, for example, in dentistry, plastic surgery, endoprosthetics, some Latvian specialists are in no way inferior, and in some cases surpass their Western colleagues. But it should be noted that specialists of this level are accepted in private clinics in Latvia, and the cost of their services is quite high. Having a temporary residence permit in Latvia , foreigners and their relatives who are not citizens of the EU countries cannot count on free state medical care. But foreign nationals can get a medical insurance policy from a local company that covers the costs of all basic medical services. Its cost will depend on the age and condition of the person. According to Latvian legislation, foreigners can receive emergency medical care if they have an insurance policy, but citizens of Ukraine and Russian pensioners are provided free of charge. You can call an ambulance in Latvia using three phone numbers - 03 (from a landline phone), 112 and 113. As reported on the website of the Latvian Embassy in the Russian Federation, residents of Russia who have been issued a residence permit or who have received a tourist visa to enter Latvia for Calling the emergency medical team is provided with an invoice of about 94 euros. This amount must be paid by the patient within 30 days in person or presented to his insurance company to cover the costs by money transfer to the emergency service account at the bank indicated on the form of this invoice. If a patient has an exacerbated illness outside the working hours of a medical institution, he can call from 17.00 to 8.00 in the morning on weekdays and around the clock on weekends and consult a family doctor free of charge by phone 66016001. Such consultations are also available in Russian. A permanent residence permit in Latvia gives foreigners more social rights than a temporary one. Medical assistance, including ambulance, with a permanent residence permit is provided by the state free of charge. However, even when receiving free medical services, the applicant must pay a patient contribution in the amount of 2 to 8 euros. This fee must also be paid for various examinations. A doctor's home visit in Latvia is always a paid service. Medical services for minors are provided free of charge (outpatient and inpatient, home visit of a doctor). Registration in state clinics for free services can be distributed several months in advance, so those who do not want to wait long can use paid services in the same clinic. Admission in this case will cost about 20 euros. Foreigners who do not have the right to receive state-funded medical services in Latvia can immediately go to a specialist doctor without a referral, regardless of the place of registration. After all, in any case, they must pay for the service in full. Private and public clinics in Latvia In Latvia, doctors see patients in both public and private clinics. At the same time, in private clinics, the quality of service is higher than in public ones, and the prices for doctors' services are lower than in the EU countries. In each commercial medical center, the cost of visiting different specialists varies from 30 to 70 euros without tests. Dental services in the country are provided only for a fee. Highly specialized medical centers are located mainly in large Latvian cities. Foreigners in Latvia can apply to multidisciplinary and specialized clinics. But not all doctors here can consult in Russian. It is better to ask the doctor in advance about the cost of the services provided, so that later the invoiced amount does not come as a surprise. HomesOverseas.ru would like to thank Natalia Cherkasskaya from BALTICZONE for her help in preparing this article. HomesOverseas.ru