Good practice:

Innovative health services combined with natural resources at Jaunkemeri health resort.

Health resort treatment tradition in Latvia was started in a part of the Jurmala resort called Kemeri located at the Baltic Sea between lakes and moors rich with healing sulfurated springs. Therefore, "Jaunkemeri" (New Kemeri) health resort is efficiently using its comparative advantages provided by geographical location and presence of natural treatment factors - climate, peloidal treatments and balneotherapy. There are 3 different types of mineral waters available and used for medical treatment: hydrogen sulphide, sodium chloride and iodine-bromine.

"Jaunkemeri" health resort is successfully operating already more than 50 years providing a significant contribution for the treatment of local patients and the health tourism offering of Latvia.
“Jaunkemeri” reaches its objectives by innovatively combining modern evidence based technologies, advanced diagnostic and treatment methods with natural resources – hydrogen sulphide, bromine mineral water, curative mud. Using an existing infrastructure, it managed to transfer into modern health establishment, develop innovative medical treatment methods and health services that are offered in packages, and also helped to reduce waiting lists from 10 to 1 month during the past decade.
“Jaunkemeri” applies innovative peloid treatments with locally excavated medicinal mud, which get enriched with hydrogen sulphide mineral water. The medicinal mud gets recycled at the dedicated regeneration fields and can be repeatedly used

“Jaunkemeri” is run by a private company, which provides services for both, private patients and patients supported by the state health insurance scheme.
There are more than 310 persons employed, including around 50 physicians.
RRC “Jaunkemeri” annual turnover is more than 4 million euro.

For more than half of a century and even during uncertain years of crisis "Jaunkemeri" constantly continued to innovate its services and work with a full capacity all year round. It offers innovative, as well as high quality affordable medical treatment and recreation, and health service packages for 11 thousand Latvian and foreign patients per year. The waiting time for patients has been reduced from 10 to 1 months. Natural resources are being delicately used and can be repeatedly applied.

Management of a large resort presents a lot of challenges that should be solved. This is also important to follow the latest developments of industry, innovate and learn new things. Also, there are new challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, which need to be overcome.

“Jaunkemeri” has a long-standing experience to share with local and foreign partners. It is also eager to obtain new knowledge and learn about new treatments, techniques and research findings. Other regions and establishments can learn from "Jaunkemeri" how to 1) innovatively exploit comparative advantages presented by geographic location, climate and nearby available natural resources; 2) combine healing properties of mineral waters and muds with modern medicine and technologies for providing innovative medical treatments and health services; 3) successful management of a health resort resulting in providing efficient service; 4) delicate approach of utilization of peloidal resources - returning medical mud to dedicated regeneration fields at the moors, which makes it eligible for repeated use in about a decade or so.