On Thursday, 24 September, the Saeima adopted in the final reading the Law on Clinical University Hospitals. The Law provides for changing the legal status and funding model of the three major clinical university hospitals – Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital, Riga East Clinical University Hospital, and Children’s Clinical University Hospital – thereby strengthening their role in the healthcare system and enhancing the system’s resilience.
The hospitals currently operate as capital companies; however, the new Law provides for their transition to the legal form of a derived public person. The procedure for the conversion, funding arrangements, and the conditions for the entry into force of this law are to be laid down in a separate law. The authors of the draft law emphasise that the current governance model is not sustainable, as capital companies operate according to a profit-oriented logic, whereas the primary task of clinical university hospitals is to provide critically necessary public healthcare services.
“Clinical university hospitals perform functions delegated by the state: they provide the most complex medical treatment, ensure crisis preparedness, and train future doctors. Therefore, the public interest, rather than profitability alone, is the guiding principle of their work. The proposed changes will enable the creation of a more stable, transparent and patient-centred system, while allowing hospitals to focus on excellence in treatment, care, education and science,” emphasised Andris Bērziņš, Chair of the Social and Employment Matters Committee responsible for the draft law.
The reform provides for stable preparedness funding for hospitals’ critical functions: infrastructure, specialised expertise, scientific development, and crisis preparedness. It will improve patients’ access to healthcare services and expand opportunities to attract European Union funding.
The reform also aims to strengthen the methodological leadership of clinical university hospitals over other medical treatment institutions and to better organise cooperation among the state, hospitals, and universities in training future specialists. A unified governance system with a joint council is envisaged for all three hospitals, ensuring a coordinated strategic approach to the development of the system and reducing governance fragmentation.
Currently, the reform will apply to the three clinical university hospitals without changing the legal status or funding model of other medical treatment institutions, noted Bērziņš. The adopted law will also strengthen the role of clinical university hospitals in education, science and research and define more clearly the hospitals’ responsibilities for the continuing professional development of medical practitioners.
Alongside the new law, the Saeima also supported in the third reading amendments to the Law on Remuneration of Officials and Employees of State and Local Government Authorities to strengthen the role of clinical university hospitals in education and science by enabling medical practitioners to receive salary supplements for training students and medical residents, conducting research, and undertaking continuing professional development. In the final reading, the Saeima also supported related amendments to the Medical Treatment Law, which ensure the transition of clinical university hospitals to the new legal status and align the regulatory framework with the forthcoming Law on Clinical University Hospitals. The procedure for the conversion of the clinical university hospitals and for the entry into force of the law is to be laid down in a separate law.
Saeima Press Service