Kutkēviča removed from Rīga East Hospital's supervisory board
The Health Ministry on Friday removed Vineta Kutkēviča from her post on the supervisory board of Rīga East Clinical University Hospital, citing potential conflict-of-interest risks; she left the position on September 26.
The Ministry of Health, acting as the capital shareholder representative for Rīga East Clinical University Hospital (RAKUS), decided on Friday to remove Vineta Kutkēviča from her position on the hospital's supervisory board. Kutkēviča left her post on September 26, the ministry reported.
Conflict-of-interest concerns
On the board, Kutkēviča was responsible for development-related matters. The ministry said it assessed her ability to fully carry out these duties and identified potential conflict-of-interest risks that limited her capacity to perform the functions assigned to her as a board member.
The ministry concluded that, since Kutkēviča could be required to abstain from participating in decision-making or discussion on a significant share of RAKUS development issues, an objective contradiction arose between her formal duties as a board member and her actual ability to fulfill them.
Ministry's explanation
Oskars Šneiders, head of the ministry's communications department, explained that the decision was based specifically on the identified conflict-of-interest risks, which significantly restricted Kutkēviča's ability to fully perform the functions she was responsible for on the board. He stressed that an official identifying a potential conflict of interest and abstaining from related decisions is not, in itself, a violation — it is part of an official's duty.
However, he noted, when such restrictions affect a substantial portion of a board member's area of responsibility, the capital shareholder representative is obligated to evaluate the board's overall effectiveness and act to ensure that strategically important development projects receive proper oversight.
