About the Ministry of Health
Dear visitors of our website,
The website of the Ministry of Health presents to your attention useful and timely information on the health system of Lithuania, the organisation of health care in the country and the main decisions made by health politicians. We have a nice opportunity to strengthen our cooperation – as patients, medical professionals, administrators – what is of utmost importance in solving the problems of health care. Let us speak about them in a simple language, understandable to everybody, let us discuss and listen to other opinions.
In their programme of the 15th Government of the Republic of Lithuania has committed itself to increase the funding of health care. This is important for an efficient health care reform that especially needs support of the society.
Our first aim is to make health care services equally accessible to all inhabitants of the country. An ordinary patient, living in any region of the country, should feel that country medical units and GP offices are becoming nicer and are better equipped (for this, budgetary and the EU structural funds are dedicated). A family physician should be waiting for a patient fully ready to render all necessary qualified medical aid as stipulated in a particular medical norm.
We strive that the salary of the family physician depended not only on the number of registered patients but also on the number of services rendered and their quality. We shall try to make family physicians more concerned with health strengthening and disease prevention of their patients. A sensitive area is the care of cancer patients, where timely preventive tests and early treatment are especially important.
In close discussions with the municipalities, the hospital network of the country should be rationally restructured, so that people living in the periphery were satisfied with the services provided there and did not need to look for other health care institutions. At the same we shall stimulate the civil responsibility insurance of health care institutions, prevention of corruption and implementation of patients’ rights.
These are only a few planned activities of the Ministry of Health, however there are more of them waiting to be done. I call you to show an active interest in our activities and express your opinion about the preparation of legal acts and the ones adopted and other actual points of the health care system. This website will be waiting for you with news and comments of competent specialists, advise on healthy lifestyles, and lively discussions. That is why I invite you once again – let us communicate and cooperate!
With sincere wishes
Algis Čaplikas
Minister of Health
