The Scientific Advisory Committee of the Federation of Cyprus Patients' Associations (GCC-OSAC), in a statement says that it is following with particular concern what has been recorded in recent weeks concerning the General Health System and sounds the alarm, as noted.
It is with regret that we note that 4.4% of the doctors of the General Health System, i.e. 67 out of the more than 2,600 doctors of the System, have been "flagged" by some, with the aim of damaging the reform itself, which is the greatest social achievement since the foundation of the Republic of Cyprus, and at the same time targeting all doctors who are contracted with the OAS.
"In fact, the figures presented refer to the year 2020 while we are already heading to the end of the first quarter of 2022 and the amount of abuses on the part of providers and beneficiaries of the System, based on data and official data from OAI, has decreased to an extremely significant extent from 2020 to date. It should only be mentioned that in 2021 the expenditure per beneficiary decreased by 12%," it adds.
It is also surprising, the statement continues, that the medical world of Cyprus is represented in the various Councils by physicians who are not even members of the System, but are the representatives who negotiate for the GESY.
"At the moment in Cyprus there are around 2800 doctors (active), of which only 185 have not joined the GESY. However, we find that in the various meetings/meetings, inside and outside the Parliament, only doctors who have not contracted with the OAS are invited and express their opinion," it adds.
A glaring example, it points out, is the last meeting of the Parliamentary Audit Committee, which was attended by a total of four doctors (3 invited and 1 MP), none of whom are members of the GESY but were invited to give their opinion because they remain in the leading positions of the Pancyprian Medical Association, despite the fact that the majority of doctors in Cyprus did not follow the recommendation of the Pancyprian Medical Association regarding the inclusion or not of their members in the system.
"In addition, the impression is wrongly given by certain political and scientific circles that the doctors of the GESY are not able to offer quality services to their patients. In particular, some invoke the cases of elderly doctors working within the system in order to call into question the entire system or the doctors contracted to it. It should be recalled that a few years ago the PIS itself supported the request of public sector doctors to extend their retirement age to 68 years," it said.
At the same time, ESE-OSAC, points out that the evaluation of doctors must be continuous, at a fixed period of time and based on best practices of other countries, ensuring their scientific competence and the safety of the beneficiaries.
But in Cyprus, it is noted, the professional license of doctors is automatically renewed every year on the basis of their subscription.
"On the contrary, the OSAA, which is constantly under attack in recent days even by certain members of Parliament, who surprise us with their ignorance of the health sector (for example, some of them are not even able to distinguish between the two semi-public Health Organisations, OKYPY and OAI), has strongly supported the creation of the independent National Centre for Clinical Documentation, to which, however, representatives are still awaiting appointment from the side of PIS," it adds.
It is noted that as regards the issues of proper control of the System, it is a requirement of both the OASC and the NCC-OASC that there be continuous, detailed and seamless monitoring of the operation of the GHS, since we are the first to stress the need to safeguard the resources from abuses and overcharging.
On the issues related to the pharmaceutical sector, the GCC-OSAC notes that it has been following with particular concern the statements made by official state bodies that implicitly but clearly support backtracking on tendering procedures.
"Procedures which the Organised Patients fought to eliminate since through them, patients and doctors had at their disposal only the cheapest choice of medicines and patients were then required to pay out of their pockets large sums of money to obtain formulations, which in the pre-GEPS era were not available in the state pharmacies, which were the only pharmacies participating in this process," it adds.
Finally, the GSC - OSAK, points out that the recent attacks on the YESY are not at all accidental in relation to the provision of the legislation governing the implementation of the System and provides for its reassessment every three years, since, as it notes, some see this as an opportunity to implement their firm plans to change the philosophy of the System and include dangerous provisions that would make it multi-insurance, rather than mono-insurance and solidarity-based as it is today.
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