Government's resignation would make sense in current situation - medics' organizations

RIGA - The Latvian Medical Association, the Latvian Association of Junior Doctors and the Latvian Nurses Association believe that the current situation is clearly showing the government's inability to handle the Covid-19 crisis and that it would therefore make sense for the current government to resign and make room for a government of independent professionals. 

As LETA was told at the medics' organizations, the only way to curb the uncontrolled spread of Covid-19 is by immediately restricting inessential in-person contacts as much as possible. "The restrictions must be strict, easy to understand, instant and controllable. Decision-making must not be delayed, it has to be swift and constructive," the medics' organizations said in a statement to the press. 

The medics blame Latvia's prolonged difficulties with fighting the Covid-19 pandemic on the government's inability to manage the crisis in a constructive and adequate manner. "The government's performance can no longer be considered indecisive, it can be considered negligent and criminal," the medics' organizations say, calling on the government to "stop regarding the crisis in healthcare as a political process and ignoring the opinion of experts and healthcare professionals". 

Healthcare services have already been seriously restricted, preventing many patients from receiving the necessary treatment. But if the government's decisions are not changed, the health system will be left unable to provide assistance even to hundreds of non-Covid-19 patients in life-threatening situations. "Medics are already forced to sort patients. The government is thus forcing physicians to decide who to save and who to let die," the medics' organizations said, warning that it will be the government and politicians, and not medics, who will be called to account for this in the long term. 

"The head of government is pleased about the democratically taken decisions and says that it is enough to hear the experts' opinions. At the same time, the prime minister has forgotten that sooner or later, the politicians will have to take full responsibility for last week's decisions and they will not be able to blame someone else," the medics said, adding that the "government has been completely unethical in its decisions as it has put short-term gains like visits to theater or concerts above people's lives".