Everyone's eyes are on the decisions to be made by the doctors' guilds in relation to the operation of the on-call clinics, since during the recent meeting they had with the involved bodies and the Minister of Health Michalis Hatzipandelas they reserved to answer on issues that have arisen. The guilds of government doctors will meet early next week with the Minister of Health, Michalis Hatzipandela. It is worth noting that the government doctors have not committed to the opening date of the on-call clinics despite the announcements by the OAU and the Ministry of Health for their opening on July 9. An obstacle to the government doctors' guilds agreeing on the start date of on-calls continues to be the entry of private personal doctors into the Government Health Centres, even temporarily. And while the unions are mainly stuck on whether the private sector will enter the State, and whether this will lead to the privatization of public hospitals, their members put forward another problem, as they refuse to take full responsibility for the on-call staff.
Objections
Based on the existing data, the on-calls in the first quarter will be made by the State Health Centers, by State doctors and where there are needs, OKYpY will purchase services from the private sector. It is worth noting that the organization has secured a relevant opinion, according to which private doctors are allowed to provide their services within public hospitals. This opinion is largely contested by the government doctors' guilds, despite the fact that in previous months private individuals have offered their services within public hospitals as part of managing the pandemic. However, despite the efforts that have been made to find a middle solution with the aim of operating on-call clinics without gaps, PASYKI, at the recent general assembly it held, decided that the proposal to grant public sector infrastructure to private personal doctors in the context of Primary Care on-calls Health of the NHS cannot be accepted. Based on the above decision, the issue of on-call clinics will be brought back to the board of the guild and any change in the situation will first be referred to the relevant minister and then announced. As the president of PASYKI Sotiris Koumas stated yesterday, the guild cannot ignore the decision of the general assembly, according to which the government doctors will participate in the on-call clinics but oppose the granting of the infrastructure to private doctors. He, however, pointed out that the goal of the doctors is not to not apply the on-call clinics on July 9, but to do so safely for the patient.
The opinion
Even if they overturn what the State doctors have agreed to through their decision, due to the shortage of doctors, OKYpY, having in its hands the opinion from private lawyers, which legalizes it to dispose of its real estate in the form of a license to doctors who are not employed by him, he will normally proceed with the procedures by purchase of services to fill the gaps and start the institution on the date decided. According to information, at OKYPY they prepared the schedule of on-calls from the first moment when the mode of operation of the clinics was agreed, a schedule of on-calls was drawn up for the first three months, with the gaps being minimal and mainly concerning the province of Famagusta. The Ministry of Health is also ready to proceed with the procedures, which according to competent sources, during the recent meeting it had with the State doctors, asked them to keep the agreement to start on-call on July 9. In addition, the position was conveyed that if they need support from private doctors they will do so, after their first month of operation has passed and the situation has been reassessed. Otherwise, the operation of the on-call centers will be examined by private sector doctors.
The OAU is waiting
At the same time, the OAU expects from OKYpY the list of the program and the way the on-call clinics will operate in the first three months. If necessary, the organization will turn to private sector doctors, while at the same time advancing the procedures with the plan to identify the suitable places that could be used as on-call to accommodate the private doctors. You are reminded that the final decisions on the procedure and the way citizens will be able to visit the on-call clinics will be announced in the coming days. So far it has been decided to start them on July 9 and the spaces that will be used have been locked. The on-call clinic in Nicosia has been designated the Latsia Health Center, in Paphos the Paphos Hospital, in Larnaca the Old Hospital, while in Famagusta the Famagusta Health Center has been designated and in Limassol the Linopetra Health Center. The on-call clinics will operate in the first phase with an eight-hour shift on Saturday and a 4-hour shift on Sunday, and the operating hours that seem to qualify are Saturday from 09:00 to 17:00 and Sunday from 09:00 to 13:00 :00.
