The Latvian Health and Social Care Workers’ Trade Union (LVSADA) demand for an additional 133 million euro to raise medical workers’ salaries by at least 13.5% is currently not realistic, according to the Minister of Health Hosams Abu Meri (New Unity).
His communications adviser Ilona Osa noted that Latvia’s fiscal space for next year amounted to just over 150 million euros in total, and this needed to be allocated across many crucial sectors, including security and demography.
However, if additional fiscal space becomes available, priority will be given to raising the lowest salaries – especially those of nurses, whose pay still significantly lags behind the EU average, Abu Meri promises.
At the same time, the minister pointed out that medical staff salaries were already increased in 2024, and doctors’ salaries are now close to the European benchmark when compared to the national average wage. He recalled that an agreement was reached last year allowing the wage fund to grow by 2.6%, the same as in the rest of the public sector.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has already “seriously reviewed its options and done everything possible to preserve both the availability of existing services and the salary fund” in order to make savings, as requested by the Ministry of Finance (MoF), Abu Meri adds.
He again stressed that he had publicly and in talks with LVSADA acknowledged the sector’s critical situation, especially regarding human resources.
In the minister’s view, medical salaries must continue to grow.
“We agree with the trade union that the Latvian context is no longer the only benchmark – we need to ensure access to medical professionals not only in Riga, but also in the regions,” he said, adding that there was a risk of staff being lured away to other countries. (BNN)