Background information

On 3 March 2022, the Latvian Parliament Saeima adopted the Law on Assistance to Ukrainian Civilians. The purpose of the Law is to provide assistance to Ukrainian civilians who leave Ukraine or who cannot return to Ukraine due to the armed conflict caused by the Russian Federation. The assistance specified in the Law is provided during the course of the armed conflict. Since it was introduced, the Law has been amended several times.

Content of measure

A Ukrainian civilian has the right to receive state-funded healthcare services to the same extent as a person insured under compulsory state health insurance in Latvia. A Ukrainian civilian is exempt from patient co-payment, except if he/she is socially insured in accordance with the Law "On State Social Insurance".

A Ukrainian civilian shall be provided with medicinal products for the treatment of chronic diseases in a pharmacy on the basis of a prescription issued in Ukraine, provided that it is written in legible handwriting or by computer or other technical means ensuring a clear and unambiguous perception of the particulars and text of the prescription and that no alterations have been made to it.

Civilian women in Ukraine have the right to receive state-funded termination of pregnancy and related health services in a hospital or day-care unit of a medical institution.

Use of measure

According to the National Health Service's data, in 2022, more than 77,000 different state-funded outpatient, rehabilitation and primary health care services was provided to Ukrainians who arrived in Latvia after the Russian-led war in Ukraine. More than 1,800 people needed hospital treatment, spending an average of 8.5 days there. The most frequent need was for GP consultations among Ukrainians. In total, both children and adults received more than 32,500 consultations from GPs, while paediatricians also provided consultations to children in almost 900 cases.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Does not apply to workers	Does not apply to businesses	Migrants or refugees

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government	National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement as case not in social partner domain	No involvement as case not in social partner domain
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: N/A

Involvement

No involvement.

Views and reactions

No specific views to report.

Sources

• 03 June 2023: Law on Assistance to Ukrainian Civilians (valid from 3 June 2023 (likumi.lv)