The Minister of Health wants to have robotic technologies in Latvian hospitals

As informed by the Ministry of Health (MoH), today the minister met with professors Jānis Gardovski, Vilni Lietuvieti and Egilus Vjateras to discuss the introduction of robotic technologies in surgery and urology.

Globally, the use of robotics in healthcare is being used to reduce invasive surgeries and help surgeons perform surgeries that would otherwise be difficult to do with open methods. Thus, it is possible to perform operations with higher precision and they are more gentle on the patient, as a result of which the patient recovers faster and maintains a higher quality of life.

During the meeting, the Lithuanian praised the state support provided in previous years, introducing state-funded focal therapy in the treatment of the prostate with high-intensity focused ultrasound. This has made it possible to help patients who have previously received radiation therapy but faced a recurrence of the disease. Thanks to focal therapy, it is possible to treat these patients, and Latvia is one of the seven countries in the world where this therapy is paid for by the state.

At the same time, in the professor’s assessment, development should be continued and the next step would be the introduction of robotic technologies in the Riga Eastern Clinical University Hospital and the Paula Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital. Their implementation in university hospitals would allow to provide operations for around 800 patients during the year.

The Minister of Health admitted that robotic technology is entering the surgery in European Union countries more and more rapidly and that this is a natural step in the development of medicine. For this reason, they should also be introduced in clinical university hospitals in Latvia. The minister and the professors agreed that the introduction of robotic technologies in the treatment process should be included in the new oncology development plan, on which work has now begun.

Taking into account the significant costs of technology purchases and maintenance expenses, it is necessary to evaluate both the available funding from the European Union’s structural funds for investments in the health sector, as well as cooperation opportunities for Lithuanian and Estonian clinics, said the minister. This issue is planned to be discussed in a high-level working group of experts in the health sector of the Baltic States.