EU Health Policy and the Healthcare Labour Market in Latvia: The Out-Migration of Healthcare Practitioners

Abstract

Healthcare systems in Europe are facing increasingly complex challenges that demand innovative solutions. Furthermore, public health is increasingly recognised as a productive factor which impacts the healthcare sector’s contribution to national economies. The out-migration of healthcare practitioners from Latvia is one of the most pressing problems in the health sector, which, in turn, negatively impacts the country’s economy. The outflow of healthcare practitioners to other EU countries has increased since 2004, the year which saw Latvia’s accession to the EU. This trend is a consequence of labour accumulation efficiency in the single market, and this article aims at conducting analyses of the main push factors governing healthcare practitioners’ emigration from Latvia and the impact of these factors on the healthcare sector. The complexity of this migration determines the use of an interdisciplinary as a methodological approach in the analysis of the main trends in the healthcare labour market. This approach can assist one in carrying out an assessment of the healthcare system’s losses as a result of the out-migration which has occurred thus far. Particular attention is paid to the training of resident doctors as a perspective trend in keeping healthcare professionals in the country. The legal mechanism for recovering public funding dedicated to residency programs has also been assessed. In conclusion, the article states that the mass emigration of healthcare practitioners from Latvia may jeopardise the efficient functioning of the country’s healthcare system.