Government doctors are paralyzing the Accident and Emergency Departments, since it seems that their relationship with the State Health Services Organization (OKYpY) is once again in a difficult period, with the former shouting about the lack of insurance barriers, regarding the services that provide. On the other hand, OKYpY clarifies that there is no issue regarding the specific issue, since a letter has been sent to the medical guild, in which there are all the answers.
Next Thursday, PASYKI has invited all its members to walk out of the public hospitals where they work, in order to protest the fact that the regulations of their contract are not respected, regarding their insurance, during performance of their medical duties. As it seems, the situation remains unclear, with PASYKI complaining that they do not have any document in their hands at the moment, which defines absolutely, targeted and in detail what their type of professional insurance is.
“In the public hospitals, which are managed by OKYPY, there are two categories, we can even say three categories of doctors. The first category is the permanent public employees and the others are the indefinite temporary employees who are again public employees and have been transferred to OKYpY. There is a regime. The rest of the colleagues, who will soon become the majority, are those who are employed by OKYpY, with a contract and it will be recorded that professional insurance coverage is provided”, PASYKI president Sotiris explained to REPORTER Kumas.
The government doctors are very annoyed, as not only their contract mentions their professional insurance, provision for this specific issue is also in the legislation of the National Health Service, with them having raised the issue, even before the first phase was implemented of the Plan.
“In order to allow any doctor, whether he is contracted directly with the OAH, or is registered and provides services of another provider, there must be evidence, that there is professional coverage, for a certain amount of money. The law records it over there. We have been submitting this specific issue since before the start of the first phase of the NHS. For colleagues who sign contracts, no one knows anything, not even the colleagues themselves. We run it with continuous letters. We have sent letters to OKYpY, please let us know what is happening. They become weak”.
The position taken by OKYpY, regarding this specific issue, seems to have caused various concerns and questions to the government doctors, who consider that since there is nothing to hide, they should at any time be able to present the documents requested of them, in order to appease the reactions.
“Despite all the letters we have sent, which is an increased number, we have not received any response from OKYPY and we were forced on 11/10 to send our last letter. In this particular letter it is very clearly recorded that there are accusations of doctors, until October 31st you should answer us in every detail, what it is about. Until then they did not answer us, on November 1st I contacted the general executive and he said ok we will have an answer. The next day we had a two-paragraph answer saying that the Republic of Cyprus is responsible for public doctors”.
OKYpY's response, however, seems not to have convinced PASYKI, which considers that the report in question does not clarify the clouds that have gathered and cloud the image that prevails at the moment, around this issue. In the meantime, as Mr. Koumas mentioned, in the letter there was also a second paragraph, in which reference is made to the issue of the insurance of doctors, who have a contract with OKYPY.
“Here is the proof that we are outside the law. Granted there is no agreement with an insurance company as there should be, we are in the process of putting one together but don't worry as we have the capital to cover you. These answers do not satisfy us at all. After three years of GeSY's existence, they should not think that we do not understand. The law says that there must be agreements with insurance. I think we all understand what professional insurance is. Because we were not satisfied with the answer and because we cannot constantly push to get answers”.
The three-hour work stoppage of the government doctors, next Thursday, is characterized by them as a warning, since they want to send the message that if they are not satisfied with the answers they will receive from the Agency, then they will not continue to be participants in the violation of the legislation .
“These things cannot happen, there are no excuses. We are fed up with OKYpY's excuses, with wills and wills. We are dealing with human lives. The legal entity is OKYpY, it creates a question, at the end of the day anyone who thinks they have been harmed by the services offered in public hospitals, will move against whom? We do not abdicate our responsibilities, but everyone should assume their own”.
“There is no issue whatsoever”
On the other hand, OKYpY considers that the reason for the strike is unnecessary, with his representative referring to the letter that has been sent since November 2 and emphasizes that it contains everything that government doctors should know about this specific issue.
“There is no question. There is no need to go on strike because it will cause enough suffering to the patients. The doctors have all the insurance coverage for the medical procedures they perform in the hospitals and they will have legal coverage in case of need”, said the representative of OKYpY, Charalambos Charilaou.
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