Rescue service in Europa: Latvia

Legal bases

The function of the rescue service in Latvia has been assumed by the ‘Urgent Medical Aid’. The legal basis of the activity of the ‘Urgent Medical Aid’ is the Medical Act and the provisions No. 35 of the Minister Cabinet of the Republic of Latvia published in accordance with this law. Almost all ‘Urgent Medical Aid’ is guaranteed by the state whereby financing is carried out in line with the territorial principles by the state and self-administrations. There are only two private rescue service organisations in Latvia.

Organisation

The ‘Urgent Medical Aid’ in Latvia is guaranteed by the following task forces:

• Standard task force, consisting of a medical assistant, a nurse or a paramedic and the rescue service driver.
• Task force of the intensive care treatment, consisting of an emergency physician, a medical assistant or a nurse and the rescue service driver.
• Specialist task forces.

By law each task force must consist of at least two persons with medical training. In 2004 there were a total of more than 170 task forces in Latvia.

The centre for disaster medicine of the Ministry for Health runs, supervises and controls the ‘Urgent Medical Aid’ within the framework of the disaster medical system. More than 150 highly-qualified specialists from the leading medical centres of the state are integrated into the disaster medical system of Latvia, who ensure medical aid for adults in 16 specialist areas, for children in 6 specialist areas. The centre for disaster medicine also guarantees aid for seriously ill persons and provides medical transport.

Control centres

In Latvia, there is the standard telephone number 03 for calling the ‘Urgent Medical Aid’. The aid can also be requested via the standard telephone number 112 of the fire and rescue service. The control centres of the ‘Urgent Medical Aid’ are distributed according to the territorial principle.

Response time

According to law the task forces should be distributed over the administrative territory so that after receiving the call urgent medical aid is guaranteed in 75% of all cases: The deadline for providing help in the towns of the Republic and in district towns should be no longer than 15 minutes after receiving the call, in the other regions of the country no longer than 25 minutes after receiving the call. In reality the deadline for providing help is shorter.

Personnel and training

Only doctors, who have undergone additional specialist training and are certified may work in the ‘Urgent Medical Aid’ .

The medical assistants and nurses are trained in the medical schools. In order to be able to work in the ‘Urgent Medical Aid’ they also have to have special training and a certificate.

Once a year the rescue service drivers regularly take part in a First-Aid-Refresher course.

The additional training courses for the personnel working in the ‘Urgent Medical Aid’ are carried out by the centre for disaster medicine.

Air rescue

The centre for disaster medicine also guarantees if possible the transport of sick or injured persons by air as a rule with the support of military structures.