The number of people that have used the health service Gesy are indicative of its success, Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantela said on Wednesday to mark three years since the introduction of the system.
“For three years now, Gesy has been embraced by the citizens. It serves thousands of patients per day and the attention of all of us must be focused on its continuous improvement and upgrading in dealing with any problems that occur without changing the philosophy of the system,” the minister said.
The system, he added, went through a number of issues and managed to survive.
According to the minister, the numbers are indicative:
917,000 beneficiaries have been registered with personal doctors
777,000 have visited their GPs
756,000 have seen specialists
769,000 have procured medicines
159,000 received inpatient services
The minister said Gesy has on its books:
711 GPs
1969 specialists
159 laboratories
1076 other health professionals
687 dentists
587 pharmacies
58 hospitals
“Gesy has not only withstood unprecedented conditions of pressure, such as that of the pandemic, but also proved that it can shield public health in the best and most efficient way,” Hadjipantela said.
At the same time, to ensure the viability of the Health System itself, actions are underway by the Health Insurance Organisation that would contribute to the normalisation of the operation of the System and the curbing of abuses, the minister added.
These include the operation of on-call clinics by personal physicians for adults and children, which will operate in the afternoons and holidays, the integration of the A&Es of private hospitals that are contracted with Gesy, the imposition of more severe penalties on illegal service providers and/or beneficiaries, the intensification of controls in collaboration with external consultants and the Pancyprian Medical Association, the addition of more innovative drugs, the implementation of a comprehensive information programme for beneficiaries, and the reduction of abuses.
“I appeal to everyone to protect the biggest reform that has taken place in our country since 1960,” Hadjipantela said.
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