In a speech at the 6th pre-conference organised by DISY on "Social State and Health" in Larnaca, Mr. Neophytou made reference to Labour Minister Zeta Aimylianidou and said that "she took the lead in creating the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare, to reduce her power for more services and better service to citizens".
He added that during those difficult years under the administration of Glafkos Clerides, we achieved the impossible for our small country to be an equal member of the European Union.
He went on to say that under the government of Nicos Anastasiades with DISY as a pillar and leader we managed the economic crisis of 2013 and the health crisis of the pandemic.
Now we are fully prepared to face the consequences of the war in Ukraine but also of the price rally and DISY is, among others, the ministers, deputies, mayors and executives, it is this machine that produces political discourse and political interventions that we never stand still, he said.
Neophytou also noted that "no matter how much they tried in recent days and from political life and not only to take us back 50-60 years, we will not follow them. We through our policies will try to pull the country even further forward and we want to add to the many that have been achieved."
In his speech, the President of DISY said that "the welfare state in 2012 was less than 590 million, the welfare state in 2022 exceeds 760 million, while the 1.7 billion euros that the state spent to support households and businesses in the unprecedented economic crisis of the pandemic must be added."
He reiterated that DISY is the party that keeps the country on a stable course, that strengthens the economy, that creates national wealth so that we have reserves.
The ideology of the Democratic Rally is to provide decent jobs and we do not want people to be beggars," he said, noting that "Cypriots are proud, they do not seek the benefit, they need decent jobs and where there are problems, to have a strong economy and to be able to support those who are really in need."
Averof Neophytou also referred to the issue of social welfare and said that "against ideologies that were implemented with the poor people in mind, with the workers in mind, by implementing their policies, they shot up unemployment to 18% and filled Cyprus with social grocery stores."
At the same time, he continued, "when Cyprus was full of Social Groceries, the liberal ideology and our policies closed the last Social Grocery because we have a state that can support those in need".
DISY President referred to the seven axes for the party's social policy among them the digitalization, the simplification and unification of all benefits to combat bureaucracy, the support of every family and every child born and the endowment of every child with a significant amount of money, the support of families with crèches and their subsidies, the reform of the pension system, so that each pensioner receives only one pension, the cooperation of the state with non-governmental and voluntary organisations, which, he said, offer services with zeal and dedication.
He also referred to finding ways for elderly people to feel useful through training and other seminars, the completion of the support network of structures and community living services for people with disabilities and the creation of special homes for children.
Regarding the health sector, the DISY President said that Cyprus passed the pandemic tests with flying colours.
Referring to the YESY he said the DISY government has implemented it and that this blessing should not turn into a curse.
Without changing the philosophy and architecture, we must ensure that the services provided are of high quality. That is why the GHS was made, so that the poor can also choose the doctor and hospital of their preference and quality health services," he said, adding that strict quality criteria should be introduced in the GHS for the sake of the patients.
In his speech, the President of DISY also referred to the warnings of the IMF and the Rating Agencies regarding the fiscal problems, saying that "we do not need to reach disaster to get corrections."
We should, he said, immediately and without delay correct various problems of the GESY, since this is the only way to ensure quality and that we will not miss the costs that will become a ticking time bomb in the sustainability of public finances.
Referring to the 2023 presidential elections, he said that "the choices are two, either the stability of Cyprus and the further development of our country for even better days with DISY in power, or the reversal of stability and replacement in the governance of the country by the current opposition".
Anita Demetriou says that the positive course of reforms should continue
In her own address, Speaker of the House of Representatives Anita Demetriou referred to the Minister of Labour and Social Insurance Zeta Aimylianidou and said that our thoughts and prayers remain with the Minister who in recent years through her wisdom and diligence, reformed to a great extent the welfare state of our country.
According to Ms Demetriou, in the years to come it is necessary to continue this positive course of transformation of social policies in order to continuously improve the welfare of our people.
We need to continue to listen to citizens to recognize the changing needs and turn them into rights with legal protection, she said.
The Speaker of the Parliament said that the implementation of the YESY is crucial and is based on a modern and institutional model of social policy, is distinguished by the principle of universality and gives, for the first time in Cyprus, access to quality health care services to citizens.
He went on to say that we will always look for ways to improve and upgrade the services of the GHS.
He also noted that in the coming years the challenges both in the field of social welfare and in the field of public health will be great and pressing.
It is necessary to understand that in order to respond positively and effectively we need to strengthen consultation, overcome outdated perceptions and maintain determination for beneficial reforms, he concluded.
Source: CNA
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