head of the ambulance service doubts a quick resolution to the problem
Ambulance wait times at the Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital have emerged as a primary bottleneck in the Latvian healthcare system, with officials warning that the current crisis is unlikely to be resolved quickly. According to Liene Cipule, head of the Emergency Medical Service (EMS), the lack of agreement on measurable performance indicators and strict timelines leaves the service without a clear path forward for reducing patient transfer delays.
The core of the issue lies in the cycle of ambulance availability. When crews are held at hospital emergency departments waiting to transfer patients, those vehicles are effectively removed from the emergency response network. Cipule noted that this creates a ripple effect, hindering the service’s ability to respond to new, incoming calls across the region.
In 2025, emergency departments and waiting rooms across the country processed more than 665,000 patients, representing a 2.2% increase over the previous year, according to data from the National Health Service.
Systemic Overload and Patient Flow
The burden on university hospitals is driven by a high volume of patients who do not require emergency-level intervention. Data indicates that only one in three patients arriving at these emergency departments ultimately requires hospitalization. This suggests that a significant portion of the public is utilizing emergency facilities as a substitute for primary or routine medical care that is otherwise inaccessible in other parts of the system.
The situation is further complicated by the concentration of severe cases at only two university hospitals in Riga. During a recent meeting between the Ministry of Health, hospital representatives, and the EMS, stakeholders identified several contributing factors to this overload. These include a general lack of accessibility to healthcare at other levels, an aging population with chronic health conditions, gaps in social care, and a lack of patient admission support from regional hospitals.
The reliance on university emergency departments for non-emergency issues signals a structural imbalance in how medical resources are distributed. Until regional facilities and primary care networks are equipped to absorb a larger share of the patient load, university centers will likely continue to experience these capacity-related bottlenecks.
Potential Solutions and Next Steps
Authorities are currently exploring a range of interventions to stabilize the system. Proposed solutions include increasing the number of therapeutic beds and expanding remote consultation services to divert patients from emergency rooms. Officials are also considering a more active strategy for directing patients to hospitals that match their specific care needs rather than defaulting to the university centers.
Stradins Hospital has signaled its intent to conduct a formal analysis of its internal emergency center processes, which may involve the recruitment of independent experts to provide oversight. However, even with these measures, participants in recent negotiations indicated that these are largely stop-gap efforts. A lasting resolution to the ambulance queue crisis may require a comprehensive, systemic overhaul of how healthcare services are delivered and accessed across Latvia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do ambulances have to wait at the hospital?
According to the EMS, ambulances are forced to wait because of a lack of a formal 15-minute standard for patient acceptance, combined with high patient volumes that overwhelm emergency departments.
What percentage of emergency room patients require hospitalization?
Statistics indicate that only about one in three patients visiting emergency departments actually requires hospital admission.
What is being done to fix the queues?
Authorities are considering increasing therapeutic beds, expanding on-call doctor networks, and improving patient redirection to appropriate facilities, alongside an internal process review at Stradins Hospital.
What changes do you believe would most effectively reduce the strain on emergency departments?