And today, ten months after the submission of the initiative, Saeima in its 3rd reading adopted amendments to both the Medical Treatment Law and the Social Services and Social Assistance Law, which finally introduce the concept of palliative care and hospice care into Latvian legislation, stipulating that the hospice service will be provided from the state budget.
"Hospiss LV" was actively involved in the amendment development processes as a non-governmental organization, participating in commission meetings, submitting proposals and asking for explanations.
"We are pleased with today's vote in Saeima. This is the first step to introduce a safe and clear service in Latvia. The first step to correct the unacceptable situation for the people of Latvia, which until now was the only country in the European Union that didn’t have a regulation in this area nor service." Ilze Zosule, board member of “Hospiss LV”, comments on the decision of the Saeima, pointing out that this is just the beginning in implementing care. "The aforementioned amendments to the laws instruct the Cabinet of Ministers to develop regulations, which will include a detailed description of the service, requirements for service providers, specifications on which patients are entitled to this state-paid care and and the payment procedure for the ones that are not.”.
The charity organization “Hospiss LV” has always stood up and will continue to stand up for the right of a dying person and his relatives and their right for a state-paind service, which does not discriminate against patients who are already at high risk of restriction of human rights. Also, "Hospiss LV" thanks everyone who signed up for the initiative on the ManaBalss.lv platform, as a result of which the above-mentioned amendments to the laws have been adopted. The initiative has currently been signed by 13,389 people, which confirms the importance of the initiative among the population of Latvia.
