Hospital upgrade in eastern Latvia

Ludza, a small town 270 kilometres east of Latvia’s capital Riga, has opened a new block of its hospital. The new facility is equipped with the most modern surgical and intensive care equipment in the whole eastern part of the country.

In 2006, the hospital was one of four local medical institutions in Latvia that received NIB loans earmarked for modernisation and the purchase of new medical equipment. The loan to Ludza totalled EUR 5.7 million.

On an area of more than 4,000 square metres, almost twice as big as the old Ludza hospital, the new block houses the admissions, operating theatre, the maternity ward and intensive care. It has also added 55 new patient beds to the previous 85.

“Now we in Ludza have much more state-of-the-art medical equipment compared to any other hospital in eastern Latvia. The conditions for both the patients and the doctors have improved a great deal,” says Dr Juris Atstupens, chairman of the hospital’s board.

The implementation of the project was not without its challenges. Construction started 25 years ago, but was halted due to a lack of financing. Four years ago, the entire block design was renewed in order to restart the construction. The construction work was completed in summer 2008. This coincided with the years of high inflation in the Latvian economy that hit the construction industry hard.

“It was very unfortunate. The costs jumped vigorously during 2007 and in early 2008. The NIB loan was a sort of a warranty that the project wouldn’t stop. But we were short of funding and had to raise additional funding from the Ludza municipality,” explains Dr Atstupens.

The municipality is the owner of the hospital. Close to 90% of the hospital’s revenues come from the governmental Health Insurance Agency, while the remaining part is being covered from patient payments. This situation is typical for the Latvian health care system.

The Ludza hospital, founded in 1838, services an area with a population of 33,000. The hospital employs more than 270 staff, including doctors, nurses and other personnel.