9th Latvian Congress of Physicians Will Take place at the End of September

The 9th Latvian Congress of Physicians, which is the largest medical forum in Latvia, will be held on 21-24 September 2022 at the ATTA Centre (60 Krasta iela). Organised by the Latvian Medical Association (LMA) and the Latvian Medical and Dental Association (LĀZA), the theme of this year’s congress will be the progression towards patient-centred precision medicine. To register for the congress and read the programme, please visit www.arstukongress.lv.

The 9th Conference of the Latvian Association of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians will take place alongside the Congress. Besides, the Latvian Nurses Association will celebrate 100 years of the nursing profession in Latvia. The Latvian Medical and Dental Association, in its turn, will celebrate its 75th anniversary.

The President of the 9th Latvian Congress of Physicians is Mārcis Leja, Head of the Scientific Department of Riga East Clinical University Hospital, gastroenterologist and Professor at the University of Latvia. The vice-presidents are Bertrams Zariņš, Head of the Department of Sports Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, USA, co-founder of the Latvian Medical Foundation and Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School, as well as Angelika Krūmiņa, Director of Health Care at Ogre District Hospital, infectologist and hepatologist, Professor at Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) and Board Member of the Latvian Medical Association. The Scientific Committee of the Congress consists of more than 30 leading Latvian healthcare professionals and medical scientists.

‘The Latvian Congress of Physicians is traditionally held every four years, bringing together several thousand doctors from Latvia and around the world. Due to the epidemiological situation, the 9th Congress will take place after five years and will be organised in a hybrid format – both on-site and online.

On the first day of the Congress, a solemn ecumenical service is held at the Riga Cathedral and flowers will be laid at the Freedom Monument,’ said Ilze Aizsilniece, President of the Latvian Medical Association and Head of the Organising Committee of the Congress.

After the ceremonial laying of flowers, the first five scientific sessions and informal meetings of the congress participants will take place on 21 September.

On Thursday, 22 September, the opening plenary session of the congress, “200 Years of Latvian Medicine: Science, Growth and Discoveries”, will take place during which the Latvian Medical Foundation scholarships will be awarded. The plenary session will be chaired by the Director of the RSU Institute of the History of Medicine, Prof. Juris Salaks. The plenary session “Medical Error. Ethical and Legal Aspects of Patient-Doctor Relations in the Context of Safe Medicine” will also take place on the same day, as well as several scientific and practical sessions and discussions, giving every Latvian doctor the opportunity to be directly involved in the work of the congress.

On Friday, 23 September, the 75th anniversary of the Latvian Medical and Dental Association will be celebrated with a special plenary session “Our Way in Medicine – Knowledge, Work, Humanism” to honour Latvian doctors’ contribution to the world. This will be followed by a plenary session on “The Politicisation of Medicine and the Potential for Medical Development in the Context of the Economic Crisis”, as well as a series of discussions and interdisciplinary scientific sections and scientific/practical sessions.

The congress will conclude on Saturday, 24 September, with the plenary session “Looking into the Future: Latvian Medicine in the Next Centenary”, providing food for thought until the next Latvian Congress of Physicians, which will mark the event’s 10th anniversary.

During the congress, the participants will have the opportunity to visit medical booths to get acquainted with medical products and prescription drugs, as well as view poster presentations.

Alongside the Latvian Congress of Physicians, the Latvian Association of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians is organising the 9th Latvian Congress of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians from 22 to 24 September and invites colleagues to share and improve their knowledge and experience in their field, and to set goals for future professional activities. A surgical masterclass is planned on 22 September under the guidance of Professor Revaz Botchorishvili, Head of the International Centre for Endoscopic Surgery. The three days of the congress will include scientific sessions and discussions on topical issues in gynaecology, cancer prevention and treatment, and maternity care.