The OAS budget provides for expenditure of €1,386,960,000 and revenue of €1,396,523,000, which will come from GHS revenue (€1,373,700,000), state sponsorship for co-financed projects (€7,700,000), as well as miscellaneous administrative (€123,000) and other revenue (€15,000,000). The budgeted starting cash balance as of 1 January 2022 is estimated at €319,559,310.
An amendment by EPP President Marinos Sizopoulos was unanimously passed so that the Parliamentary Health Committee is informed in writing every quarter about the global budget of each category of health care providers.
Also passed were amendments by DIKO MP Panikos Leonidou to inform the Parliamentary Health Committee every six months of the expenditure relating to the budget for training and other incentives for health care providers, the expenditure relating to the budget for the remuneration of the Advisory Committees of the Health Insurance Organisation, the expenditure relating to the budget for office operating costs and the expenditure relating to the budget for IT system support and other operational
In his statement, DPA - Coalition of Democratic Forces MP Michael Yacoumi said that they support the viability of the Agency and the GHS and are here to resolve its problems and put an end to the abuses of the system, with the GHS having to put all the detrimental ones out of the system.
DIKO Parliamentary Representative Panicos Leonidou referred to his amendments and said that it is the right of the Parliament to exercise parliamentary control over such organisations and that way there will be better contact.
He also referred to the Auditor General's report on OAI, which finds violations in the principles of administrative and public law and a general lack of seriousness and responsibility of the organisation, which endangers the health system itself. He also stated that provisions of the legislation on balanced and global budget are violated. He also spoke of the need for the immediate establishment of an independent audit committee to systematically supervise the work of the OAI. The board and the administration of the organisation, he concluded, are being put to the test.
The President of the EPP, Marinos Sizopoulos, spoke of clear preferential treatment of private hospitals, private fees, unfair competition, inequality and waste of money that endanger the quality of health and sustainability of the YESY.
He noted that this year's budget is increased by 45% compared to the original budget in 2019 and 2020 and there has been no corresponding improvement in services provided but a clear deterioration of services. He also said that the mono-insurance law is being violated and the multi-insurance law is being introduced through the back door.
DIKO MP Chrysanthos Savvidis said that if the new contracts are not made on the right basis and on the basis of the YESY legislation, there will be a 20-25% increase in contributions to the YESY.
AKEL Parliamentary Spokesman George Loukaides said that just two years after the start of the inpatient phase, the GESY is in its infancy and we should "help the infant to stand on its feet and not kill it". He added that with the GESY the right of equal access to health care for Cypriot citizens has been largely restored and some people do not like this and continue to fight it. AKEL, he said, will stand up to them and will try to improve the real problems of the GESY such as the need for on-call duty, the introduction of quality criteria for personal doctors and quality criteria for compensation for hospitals.
He also said that the problem of the sustainability of the GESY is an invention, a huge lie and the Health Minister replied to the Finance Minister that the GESY is not in danger due to lack of sustainability. He also said that Mr. Petrides decided and unilaterally cut off 150 million euros from the OAI which is unacceptable.
DISY MP Efthimios Diplaros said that the party does not wish to alter the philosophy or architecture of the GESY. He expressed his satisfaction that other parties agree with what DISY was saying that some things need to change regarding overpayments, mismanagement, wastage, perverse payment methods, etc.
He also said that it is not fair for some to say that DISY wants the abolition of GESY, noting that if it were not for the insistence of the President of the Republic himself, this major reform would not have been implemented. He also expressed support for the efforts of the Ministry of Health to make changes to make the GESY better every day. He also said that the Health Minister did not say anything different from the Finance Minister.
Regarding the 150 million euros, he said that this amount was given to the fund of the Ministry of Health because the money was given from there for needs such as the transfer of patients abroad, while not a single cent was given from the OAS in relation to this amount.
Source: KYPE
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