In December, Latvia’s parliament — Saeima — approved the state budget for 2026, allocating €1.97 billion to the healthcare sector. This includes an additional €42.7 million aimed at expanding access to care and improving service quality across the country.

According to Health Minister Hosams Abu Meri, the coming year will be challenging but crucial. The focus will be on strengthening regional healthcare, developing hospital networks, attracting medical professionals, improving access to medicines, and advancing digital solutions such as a unified patient queue and patient portal.

A significant share of the extra funding will support maternal and child healthcare, fertility treatments, and mental health services. From mid-2026, the state will cover pharmacist service fees for prescription medicines priced under €10, while people with first-degree disabilities will be fully exempt from this fee. Additional resources are also directed to palliative care, critical medicines, and emergency medical services, including border regions.

Major investments in 2026 will go to hospitals, outpatient specialist care, reimbursable medicines, primary care, emergency services, and medical education. Overall, the budget reflects Latvia’s commitment to building a more accessible, data-driven, and resilient healthcare system that can better respond to the needs of patients and families nationwide.