Latvia

It excludes dental care for adults, most rehabilitation and physiotherapy and some other services. There has been an increase in privately financed health care services in Latvia over recent years and the proportion of out-of-pocket payments is high due largely to limited state financing.  

The NHS is primarily financed through general taxation, with a purchaser–provider split and a mix of public and private providers. To raise additional funding for health care, the Social Security Contributions rate was increased by a percentage point in 2018, with the additional revenues earmarked in the law and transferred to the health care budget. The parliament (Saeima) plays an important role in the development of national health policy and approves both the national budget and the budget of the NHS. The Ministry of Health is responsible for national health policy and the overall organization and functioning of the health system. The NHS is overseen by the Ministry of Health and is the institution that is mainly responsible for the implementation of state health policies and for ensuring the availability of health care services in the country. The NHS is also the main purchaser of publicly funded health services. Local governments are tasked with ensuring geographical access, and, depending on budget and local priorities, maintain hospitals and long-term social care facilities.