On Thursday, February 2, Minister of Health Līga MenĐelsone met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Germany to the Republic of Latvia Christian Heldt on a familiarization visit to discuss issues of cooperation in the field of health care.
Minister of Health Līga MenĆelsone thanked Germany for the support provided to Latvia in the fall of 2021, when due to the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Latvia asked for international assistance for medical equipment, using the opportunities provided by the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism. A number of countries responded to Latvia’s request for help, including Germany, which sent Latvia medical materials and equipment worth 3.5 million euros: patient vital parameters monitor stations, artificial lung ventilation equipment with a non-invasive function and surgical masks. The help received was very important for overcoming the crisis in hospitals and rescuing seriously ill people.
Also, the minister acknowledged that an important issue to be solved by European Union countries in cooperation is the review of contracts between the European Commission and the manufacturers of Covid-19 vaccines, taking into account the current situation and the real demand for vaccines in the EU member states. Being aware of the producers’ interest in not losing the payment provided for in the contracts by the member states, it would be essential to reach an agreement with the producers either on the extension of the delivery period or to agree on other, for example, delivery of innovative medicines.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Germany to the Republic of Latvia, Kristians Helts, in his turn expressed that the biggest challenges in the health care systems of Latvia and Germany are similar: provision of human resources, aging of society (including medical personnel), the impact of the increase in energy costs and inflation on the availability of health care services, data availability and relevance in health care policy planning. Therefore, cooperation and the exchange of good experiences in the application of various solutions are essential.
