Paediatric neurologist in Latviawhere to get treatment, how to verify certification, what this doctor does

A paediatric neurologist diagnoses and treats nervous system disease in children, assessed against psychomotor development norms for each age.

• Epilepsy and other paroxysmal disorders
• Headache of various causes
• Neuromuscular disease
• Delayed psychomotor development
• Nervous system damage from infection and inflammatory disease
• Hypoxic and vascular disorders
• Sleep disorders

A family doctor or paediatrician is enough for one-off symptoms that resolve quickly. A paediatric neurologist is needed for seizures, when development does not match the child's age, or when headaches recur.

The Clinic of Paediatric Neurology and Neurosurgery at the Children's Clinical University Hospital states that its work includes:

The clinic also runs a Headache Unit staffed by neurologists and pain specialists. A Headache Unit consultation is advised where a child's headache intensity or frequency is not adequately controlled, where headaches are unclear or hard to classify, where they are chronic, or where there is a high risk of medication-overuse headache.

The clinic works with the National Rehabilitation Centre "Vaivari" and with clinics abroad on neuromuscular disease diagnosis.

• Six years of medical study and a doctor's degree, at RSU or the University of Latvia.
• Residency in paediatric neurology. Programme page: RSU residency programme.
• In the first year residents cover topical diagnosis and semiotics of nervous system disease, general neurology, neurophysiological testing and imaging methods, with a rotation in adult neurology.
• In the second year they cover paediatrics, how neurological examination differs by age, psychomotor development norms, syndromes of nervous system damage and the principles of neurorehabilitation, with rotations in paediatrics, paediatric neurology, outpatient practice, neurorehabilitation, ENT, neuropathology, radiology and ophthalmology.
• In the third year they cover hospital and outpatient paediatrics, emergency care, intensive care, oncology and neonatology, plus sleep disorders.
• The certificate is valid for 5 years. Recertification requires 250 continuing education points plus a 48.38 EUR fee.
• Entry in the practitioners register must be renewed every 5 years.

• Area of disease. Epilepsy, headache and neuromuscular disease are handled by separate teams in Latvia, so state the problem when booking.
• Headache. If a child's headaches are chronic or poorly controlled, there is a dedicated Headache Unit.
• Continuity. In epilepsy treatment is adjusted in steps, so staying with one doctor has real value.
• Rehabilitation. Where neurorehabilitation is needed, care is coordinated with a rehabilitation provider.
• Second opinion. A child's legal representative may freely choose the doctor and institution.

• Bring details of the child's development: when they started sitting, walking and talking, and whether anything deviated.
• If there have been seizures, a description or video helps: how long they lasted, how they started, what followed.
• Bring earlier investigations, including EEG and MRI reports, and a full list of medicines.
• At the visit the doctor assesses neurological status against the child's age and psychomotor development norms.
• As needed the doctor orders EEG, imaging, or a consultation with a specialist team.

Children under 18 are among the groups exempt from patient co-payments, so a state-funded paediatric neurology consultation on referral costs the family nothing. The same applies to state-funded investigations and inpatient treatment.

• Patient co-payment for a child under 18Price EUR: 0.00Source: NVD
• State-funded consultation on referralPrice EUR: 0.00Source: NVD, exemption for children under 18
• Inpatient treatment, including epilepsy surgeryPrice EUR: 0.00Source: BKUS, NVD exemption
• Private paediatric neurology consultationPrice EUR: per clinic price listSource: private clinics

The specialty body is the association "Latvijas Bērnu neirologu biedrība" (Latvian Society of Paediatric Neurologists), registration number 40008037675, contact Mikus Dīriks, bernuneirologi.lv.

The society's site carries information about EpiCARE, the European Reference Network bringing together epilepsy centres.

Adult neurology is represented by the Latvian Neurology Society, registration number 40008017147.

Certificates are issued by the Certification Council of the Latvian Medical Association. The sector regulator is the Health Inspectorate.

If you have doubts about the care a child received, raise them first with the provider's management. If that does not resolve it, the child's legal representative may submit a written complaint to the Health Inspectorate no later than two years after the alleged infringement. It is reviewed within 30 days, extendable to four months in complex cases. The procedure is set out on the Health Inspectorate site.