The following is a translation of a September 15, 09 news story from
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Today Leukemia patients gathered near the Parliament building, as they were asking to be awarded the funds for their medical provisions. The Health Minister Baiba Rozentale came out to speak with the protesters, and she explained to them that during the current [financial] situation it is not possible to award treatment funds to all. However, the President [of Latvia] Valdis Zatlers also came out to speak with the protestors later, telling them that leukemia is one of the diseases for which the state will always provide treatment funds for individuals.
Today leukemia patients and their supporters picketed near the Parliament building, asking the state to fid funds for treating their leukemia and lymphoma.
The picketers were at a loss because of the contradictory statements from two officials, saying that they don't know who to believe, the health minister Baiba Rozentale or President Valdis Zatlers.
Rozentale, as she was meeting with the picketers, stressed that health is an area in which the state cannot cut funding, however, she was skeptical that funding would actually be found; Zatlers on the other hand stated "There are those diseases for which the state will always provide treatment. Leukemia is one of those diseases."
Picketers asked the state to guarantee funding for the treatment of all leukemia and lymphoma victims, and also for victims of other forms of cancer, because such treatment is crucial for maintaining life, and it is critical for preventing the humiliating and life-threatening quotas on medicines, analyses, and the rest of the treatments.
"My daughter has to go to court to ensure that she will be able to get her medicines for treating leukemia," one protest participant Agra Jaunozolina explains. Her daughter needs 4800 Lati ($9000) for purchasing medicines, but the entity deciding whether she will get the medicines is the court. "And you never know in the court whether they will give her the medicines or not. So she goes on living from one court session to the next. Can you imagine - how stressful and humiliating it is at the moment when the Health Ministry asks you, 'Why do you think you need treatment more than others do?" But my daughter is not at fault for getting this disease. Why do we have to be humiliated? A person wants to live, after all."
"Mr. Zatlers said that the state has enough resources to resolve this issue, however the health minister said that this is not possible. Whom should I believe?", asked leukemia victim Irina Salova. "Behind each of their decisions there lies a life of a human being. Leukemia patients need medicines today and now, and they can't wait half a year until somebody somewhere makes a decision."
"Unfortunately nobody - no member of the government, no relative of theirs - is excluded from these types of diseases, so the society is asking now not to ignore the patients, thinking 'this will not affect us'. When the patients were healthy, they paid their taxes to the state, but now it turns out that the sickness is 'their own problem'. "
Organization of leukemia patients stresses that while the government keeps posturing with their supposedly strong position for cutting the budget, young women and even children are forced to go to court to fight for every next dose medicine for saving their lives. The neighboring countries offer dignified treatment to cancer patients even during crisis situations.
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Is this the health care future we want?
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