By Nicolas Petros Kaparti
The background is intense on the front of Health, with the abuses in the YESY and the progress of the process of autonomy of the hospitals of the OKYPY monopolizing the attention. The President of the Republic, took over several of the open issues plaguing the OAI and OCYPY, and on Friday this past Friday, he gave guidelines to the relevant agencies to prepare concrete action plans based on timetables, with control mechanisms, to address the abuses in the GHS and the better organization of public hospitals, respectively.
Importantly, President Anastasiades also instructed the OAI to issue a circular as soon as possible to permanently terminate the services of doctors who are not contracted to the GESY in hospitals that are part of the system. This is an important aspect which had been in the air for several months following an opinion of the Attorney General's Office, which demonstrated that this practice was illegal.
Moreover, due to this particular pending issue, the Minister of Health had instructed the OAI to put on ice the negotiations with a private hospital that expressed its intention to join the GHS, as well as the contacts with private hospitals that expressed interest in integrating their TAPs into the System. Following this development, the "ball" goes to Michael Hadjipandela, who is asked to lift the relevant directive and give the green light to OAI to continue its consultations once the issue has been resolved following the President's intervention.
Processes for TAEP
Beyond that, as reported by the Cyprus
Times, the State Health Services Agency does not seem to view positively the possibility of including the new TAEPs in the GHS, given that much of the inpatient care provided in public hospitals comes from First Aid.
Specifically, as reported to us by a competent OAS source, pressure is being exerted by the OCYP on the Agency not to proceed with the inclusion of new ICUs in the GHS. This is to enable it to cope with competition from private hospitals contracted to the system.
Although the Accident and Emergency Department for a hospital is the least "profitable" department for the maintenance and operation of a hospital, the OCYP is concerned that with the coexistence of other ICUs in the GHS, the cycle of inpatient health care provision in its hospitals will be reduced and as a result it will not be able to cope financially within the framework of the autonomy of public hospitals.
It is worth noting that the OAI has been criticised several times in the past for failing to ensure that the private hospitals that are contracted to it, integrate their ICUs into the system, as provided for in the relevant legislation.
President sees OSAK
In another development, the President of the Republic on the occasion of the European Patients' Rights Day will meet today, Good Monday, with a delegation of the Federation of Cyprus Patients' Associations in the presence of the Minister of Health. President Anastasiades is expected to reiterate his determination to ensure the smooth operation of the GHS on the basis of the philosophy that was established, ensuring the benefits to the whole of society of the biggest social reform ever implemented in Cyprus.
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