In total, nearly 20 million euros were paid out for this, and it is quite safe to say that a large portion of those recipients were “fraudulent disability claimants,” and that public funds were embezzled due to a flaw in the system. Digitizing these processes makes it possible to identify and prevent this type of potential fraud, but the political will to stop it must come from the leadership.
A similar situation exists with school meals. Local governments in Latvia provide free lunches to many students, but many local governments do not fully know how many students use their allocated free lunches each day. If each meal served is not actually tracked, payments are often made for the previously estimated volume of meals, even though in reality a significantly smaller number of students actually use the meal service.
In this case as well, digitization makes it possible to pay only for what is actually ordered; however, the decision to change the system must be made by the institution’s management.
It is important to understand that a review of all processes within an institution or municipality should be conducted annually, as the situation regarding the development of various e-services in Latvia is changing quite dynamically. If only 5% of the population uses a particular service electronically, that is one situation, but if the number of users of this e-service has already reached 80%, the division of responsibilities can be reviewed, and a person who previously handled certain duties can be entrusted with others, eliminating the need to hire a new professional from outside.
The latest unemployment figures show that the unemployment rate in Latvia has reached its lowest level since the restoration of independence, and while just a few years ago we could speak of full employment in Riga and the major cities, unemployment rates are currently low even in Latvia’s more remote regions, including Latgale.
Regional municipalities will also have to consider how to make their processes more efficient, as opportunities to attract new people may not exist. I believe that in the coming years, employees will be the most important resource for local governments and state institutions, and institutional leaders will have to carefully consider how to attract and develop this resource.
Meaningful digitization can certainly help this process.
