Mother warns: 'E-veselība' system glitches can delay boy's epilepsy medication
A mother whose son needs epilepsy medication at specific times has asked whether authorities have a contingency plan for cases when the 'E-veselība' e-health system malfunctions and prevents timely access to urgently needed drugs. Officials say alternative solutions exist, but a clearer crisis action plan is still being developed.
A question has emerged in Latvia about what to do when urgently needed medication cannot be obtained because the national e-health system, 'E-veselība', is malfunctioning. The issue was raised by a mother whose son has epilepsy and must receive anti-seizure medication at certain times. On one occasion — September 1 — the boy reportedly suffered four seizures, and at that critical moment, difficulties arose in obtaining the necessary medication because the system was experiencing disruptions.
Mother seeks clarity
The mother has approached the responsible authorities asking whether a specific action plan exists for situations where outages in e-prescriptions or the 'E-veselība' system could endanger a person's health or even life when medication is needed immediately.
Authorities respond
Responsible institutions explain that even when the system is down, other solutions currently exist for obtaining necessary medication. However, they acknowledge that work is still underway to create a clearer, more specific action plan for crisis situations in which the digital system is unavailable but a patient urgently needs medication.
The case highlights the importance of stability in digital health systems for patients with chronic conditions, for whom timely access to medication can be critical.
