With amendments aimed at more frequent information of the Parliament on the management of GESS, the Plenary Session of the Parliament unanimously approved the budget of the Health Insurance Organization (OAY) for 2022. 36 deputies voted in favor.
The OAU budget provides for expenditures of € 1,386,960,000 and revenues of € 1,396,523,000, which will come from GESS revenues (€ 1,373,700,000), state sponsorship for co-financed projects (€ 7,700,000), as well as various administrative (€ 123,000) and other income (€ 15,000,000). The budgeted initial monetary balance as of January 1, 2022 is estimated at € 319,559,310. health care providers.
Also, amendments were voted by the Member of Parliament for DIKO Panikos Leonidos to inform the Parliamentary Committee on Health every six months about the expenses related to the fund for education and to provide other incentives to the providers of health care services, the expenses related to the fund for Committees of the Health Insurance Organization, the expenses related to the item for office operating expenses and the expenses related to the item for support of information system and other operational procedures of GESS.
In his position the MP of DIPA – Cooperation Of Democratic Forces Michalis Giakoumis stated that they support the viability of the Organization and the GESS and is here to solve its problems and put an end to the abuses of the system, with the OAU having to exclude all the harmful ones from the system.
< p>The Parliamentary Representative of DIKO Panikos Leonidou referred to his amendments and said that it is the right of the Parliament to exercise parliamentary control over such organizations and thus there will be better contact.
He also referred to the Auditor General's report on the ODA, which found violations of the principles of administrative and public law and a general lack of seriousness and responsibility of the organization, which endangers the health system itself. He also stated that provisions of the legislation on a balanced and global budget are being violated. He also spoke of the need for the immediate establishment of an audit committee by independent bodies to systematically oversee the work of the OAU. The council and the management of the organization, he concluded, are under test.
The President of EDEK Marinos Sizopoulos spoke about clear favorable treatment of private hospitals, about private fees, unfair competition, inequality and money laundering that put in risk to the quality of health and viability of GESS.
He noted that this year's budget is increased by 45% compared to the original in 2019 and 2020 and there has been no corresponding improvement in services provided but a clear deterioration of services. He also stated that the one-insurance policy is being violated and the multi-insurance policy is being introduced through the back door. 20-25% in the contributions to GESS.
AKEL Parliamentary Representative George Loukaidis said that just two years after the start of the inpatient phase, GESS is in its infancy and we should “help the infant to stand on his own two feet and not kill him.” He added that the GESS has largely restored the right of equal access to the health of Cypriot citizens and some do not like it and continue to fight it. AKEL stated that it will stand against them and will try to improve the real problems of GESS such as the need for on-call time, the introduction of quality criteria for personal doctors and the quality criteria for compensation of hospitals.
He also mentioned that the problem of the sustainability of the GESS is an invention, a huge lie and the Minister of Health replied to the Minister of Finance that the GESS is not in danger due to lack of sustainability. He also said that Mr. Petridis decided and unilaterally cut from the OAY 150 million euros, something that is unacceptable.
DISY MP Efthymios Diplaros said that the party does not want to alter the philosophy or architecture of GESS. He expressed satisfaction that other parties agree with what DISY said that some things need to change in terms of overpayments, mismanagement, waste, distorted payment methods, etc.
He also said that some are not fair to say that DISY wants the abolition of the GESS, stating that if it were not for the insistence of the President of the Republic himself, this great reform would not have been implemented. He also expressed support for the efforts of the Ministry of Health for changes so that the GESS becomes better every day. He also stated that the Minister of Health did not say anything different from the Minister of Finance.
Regarding the amount of 150 million euros, he stated that this amount was given to the fund of the Ministry. Health because the money given for needs such as the transfer of patients abroad came from there, while the OAU did not give a single cent in relation to this amount.
Source: KYPE
