Marilena Panagi
Officially and without rotation, DISY and EDEK go for changes in the basic legislation of GESS and at the same time, the previously hidden disagreements in the government camp regarding the philosophy and the character of the System are revealed.
Just two weeks after the clear placement of the PD in front of the organized patients, that only above his corpse will change the legislation of the System, the vice president of the Democratic Alarm, Haris Georgiadis, stated in Parliament that his party “wants changes” and at the same time The Minister of Health, Michalis Hatzipandelas, who throughout the previous period stated that he was not going to accept changes in the philosophy of the GESS, during his presence in Parliament yesterday, took a rather neutral stance, referring to what the law provides.
In fact, during the meeting he had a little later with the Minister of Finance Konstantinos Petridis on issues concerning the GESS and public hospitals, it was only agreed that a committee of technocrats would be set up to study the requests submitted by OAY and OKYPY for state aid which Konstantinos Petridis had dismissed, indirectly but explicitly, in his public statements last week.
“It was agreed to set up a committee with the participation of technocrats from the two Ministries to thoroughly examine the requests and come up with a proposal. The two ministers will closely monitor the issue in order to defend the operation of the system and address the problems that are observed. “The main purpose is to defend the reform of the health system and its viability for the benefit of patients”, said the relevant announcement issued shortly after the meeting of the two Ministers.
The intentions of DISY and EDEK were revealed during yesterday's discussion of the budget of the Ministry of Health during the joint meeting of the Parliamentary Committees on Finance and Health.
Taking the floor to place the vice president, DISY MP Haris Georgiadis, he started with a submission linking, as the Minister of Finance had done a week ago, the GESS's finances with the sustainability of public hospitals: “Let me tell you that A key component of the GESS philosophy was that OKYPY would cover its own costs. The legislation stipulates that state sponsorship would decrease over the years and instead we see that it will increase this year (budgeted at € 148 million compared to € 120 million last year) “he said and continued referring to the GESS claimed that: DISY is in favor of specific changes that we do not consider to change the philosophy of GESSY, although some will react “.
He continued, repeating a proposal which had previously been rejected several times by the Government and the OAY since, as had been emphasized in previous cases, it alters the institution of the Personal Physician which is one of the main pillars of GESS. “As for the method of remuneration of the personal doctors of the System, for example, who are paid per capita. We consider it reasonable that those who receive visits from their patients should be paid, and not the one who has his phone turned off. “This is an example of change,” said Mr Georgiadis.
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The position of the vice president of DISY, certainly did not go unnoticed by the president of EDEK Marino Sizopoulos, who officially after the meeting stated that his party will submit a bill that will provide the right of doctors outside GESS to prescribe within the System. The president of EDEK did not fail to turn his fire against the two previous ministers of Health, addressing Michalis Hadjipandelas: “EDEK, Mr. Minister, will evaluate you based on your own work and not on the basis of the wrong choices and actions of your predecessors.” . “I am glad that colleagues are adopting some of our proposals. I am happy because Mr. Georgiadis on the part of DISY has made the specific position for the personal doctors and there are other issues such as the prescription from the doctors outside GESS but also “.
Responding to both the vice president of DISY and the president of EDEK, the Minister of Health did not comment directly. Regarding the personal doctors and the way they are paid by the System, he stated that “it is not only the way that the personal doctors are paid the problem, they also have other problems, such as the age of some who are not entitled to a license but are entitled to examine patients. We understand that there is a problem with personal physicians. There is a mood to rectify the situation. It is an issue that we have identified and we will find solutions to these issues. ” Regarding the possibility of giving the right to doctors outside the GESS to prescribe within the System, the Minister of Health said, , so it can not be done “.
This position of Michalis Hadjipandelas, received the immediate response of the president of EDEK who stated that “then we will bring a bill to Parliament to amend the legislation.”
The result was the reaction of the parliamentary representative of AKEL, George Loukaidis, who directly called on the minister to take a stand, “Mr. Minister, I will ask you directly, do you, the Government, accept a change in the legislation, in the philosophy of GESS? What does the government say? “
“The government implements what the law provides” was the answer of the minister who in his concluding comment on GESS stated that “we know that proper control must be exercised because if there is uncontrolled expenditure the state may not be able to deal with it. . The goal is the correct distribution of the expenses so that there is no problem in the finances of the State “.
At € 148 million the state sponsorship to OKYPY
Presenting the budget of his ministry for 2022, Michalis Hadjipandelas stated that “the expenditures of the Ministry of Health constitute 14.8% of the total state budget. Taking into account the contribution of the state as an employer to the GESS, the total health expenditures in the state budget constitute about 5% of the GDP “.
Most, he said, “is the remuneration of the seconded staff in OKYPY which amounts to € 265.7 million” while the largest increases in relation to the 2021 budget concern the sponsorship to OKYPY by € 28 million, since last year it was € 120 million and for 2022 it is estimated at € 148 million “. The Minister of Health attributed this increase to the pandemic and to the fact that public hospitals were called upon to lift the weight of patients treated for coronavirus on their own.
The amount of € 148 million, he explained, “is intended to cover the deficit of the Organization” and noted that “for 2024 there is a reduced provision for the sponsorship of OKYPY since according to the legislation, the state will finance the deficits of the Organization for first five years from the beginning of GESS, ie until May 2024 “.
There is also an increase in the budget for the purchase of drugs and vaccines. “A provision of € 59 million was included and this item is expected to cover mainly medicines for nominal requests which concern specific patients with specific diseases and the medicines they need are either not included in the list of medicines of GESS, or are outside the approved protocols. It also concerns the purchase of vaccines as well as unlicensed preparations “.
Furthermore, the general government contribution to GESS is estimated at € 435 million and constitutes 41% of the budget of the Ministry of Health, the salaries of officials and staff of which € 52 million relate to overtime benefits, social benefits which include subsidized patients. , the sponsorship of the Oncology Center of the Bank of Cyprus (OKTK), the allowances for HIV-positive and Hansenians, the allowances for in vitro fertilization and hearing aids amount to € 33 million, while a fund of € 5.8 million is intended for development expenditures. the new building of the State Chemist and the building of the blood center.
According to the Minister of Health, there is a decrease in the medical care of patients in Cyprus by € 10 million and in the sponsorship in OKTK by € 9 million.
“In the medium-term financial framework 2022, the budget is increased by 2.3% (additional € 24 million) compared to the approved budget for the year 2021.
The main strategic goals of his ministry, said Michalis Hadjipandelas, are “the restructuring of the health system of Cyprus, the strengthening and upgrading of e-health, the strengthening of an active and effective presence in Europe and the international community, the promotion of health promotion and prevention diseases and the development of research, technological development and innovation activities “.
