Medical tourism on the rise in Latvia

The number of medical tourists to Latvia increased by 10% in 2015, and Russian numbers rose too. Total amount of services provided by the clinics increased 6.5% to EUR 1.346 million.

Latvia saw a fall in the number of Russian tourists by 31% in 2015 but a 10% increase in medical tourists seeking an alternative to Turkey.

The number of medical tourists to Latvia increased by 10% in 2015. 14 clinics of the healthcare alliance Baltic Care in Latvia had 8,868 patients from abroad in 2015, which is 10.5% more than in 2014, while the total amount of services provided by the clinics increased 6.5% to EUR 1.346 million.

The largest number came from Russia and the rest came from Ukraine, Belarus, Scandinavian countries, UK, Ireland, Germany, Lithuania and Estonia.

The most popular services were medical check ups, specialist advice and diagnostics, fertility treatment, orthopaedics, cosmetic surgery, dentistry, and ophthalmology.

Residents of C.I.S. countries, including Russia, appreciate the transparent pricing policy – in Latvia prices are available to the general public, and the prices for local residents are the same as for foreigners. Half of foreign patients went to Latvia from Western Europe and Scandinavian countries, and the other half were from C.I.S. countries – mostly from Russia.

A key reason people go to Latvia is the ease of getting to Riga, a safe environment, and modern healthcare services for prices that are considerably s lower than prices in Western Europe, Scandinavia, and also Russia.