Messages to the Health Insurance Organisation (OAI) to proceed as soon as possible with the integration of the Departments Accident and Emergency Departments (AEDs) of private hospitals integrated into the GHS was sent by the Parliamentary Audit Committee, with committee chairman Zacharias Koulias stating that "the grace period is over".
With private physicians talking about implementing the GESY a la carte, because some private hospitals, while integrated into the GESY, are keeping their TEPs outside the GESY, OAI Director Andreas Papaconstantinou said that a letter is expected from the Minister of Health to end the suspension of the integration of TEPs, in order to start a dialogue with private hospitals. He noted that the suspension of the affiliation of the TAEPs had been decided by the Minister of Health due to the coronavirus problems.
"Let the Minister reply soon. We need to understand that the coronavirus is over. He should revoke the letter (east of the inclusion of the TAPs) and in a week find solutions. People can't be lost and patients can't be served because a TAP is or isn't in the GIS. The grace period has ended," Zacharias Koulias said during the committee meeting.
Papaconstantinou, both before the committee and in statements after the meeting, said that the will of the OAI will be absolute, as he said, the hospitals that are included in the GESY, "either they will integrate their ICUs or they will close them." He said that after receiving the letter of termination of the suspension of the integration of the private CAHs from the Minister of Health, the Agency has prepared the letter to the private hospitals, will start consultations with them, which he estimated will take a month.
However, PIS President Petros Agathangelou said that the contracts with the private hospitals expire at the end of June and the issue should be resolved before the contracts are renewed. "This means that we will renew the illegality until the dialogue is completed," he said."
Auditor General, Odysseas Michaelides said the whole issue is similar to what he said was the well-known issue of the private wings of private hospitals. The OAI lets the private hospital charge the patient, while these explicitly fall under the GHS law, he said. He also recalled the Auditor General's observation that the issue has been delayed. "We expect that the distortion will be corrected," he added.
In addition, physician Marinos Sotiriou said that the YESY law is applied selectively and recalled that there is an opinion of the Attorney General's Office according to which a hospital that is part of the YESY cannot maintain services both inside and outside the system, while the OAI secured an opinion from a private legal adviser.
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In response, Mr. Papaconstantinou explained that the OAI, as a semi-governmental organization, does not consult the Attorney General.
Criticisms against the incorrect implementation of the GESY in a way that "strangles the private sector" were voiced by physician Charis Armeytis. "With this double door, it is clear the strangulation of the private sector, which consciously chose to stay out of respecting the YESY law," he said."
DISY MP Savvia Orphanidou said the issue had also been discussed in September in the Health Committee. "We really think that private hospitals have the greatest contribution to make, especially with their TEPs. The inclusion of the TAPs will greatly decongest the public hospitals. "We have received complaints that their service has been miserable at the risk of their lives," he added."
So far, first aid services are offered by the public hospitals and the Mediterranean private hospital in Limassol.
AKEL MP Christos Christofides said the TAEP case is related to the situation in public hospitals "which currently bear the overwhelming burden in this sector and the situation is unfortunately unacceptable."
For his part, EPP President Marinos Sizopoulos said the way the legislation is implemented promotes the multi-insurance system and not the mono-insurance system. He also said that the OAI pays doctors outside the GESY and in some cases who are not registered in the Cyprus register of doctors.
Moreover, DIKO MP Chrisis Pantelides said that this is one of the aspects of the GESY where the legislation is not implemented. "We reiterated the party's position that the GES legislation must be fully implemented and we have exhausted our tolerance for its non-implementation," he said and asked for a specific timetable for the completion of the process.
DPA MP Alekos Tryfonidis, for his part, said the situation "cannot go on any longer". The OAI will have to come to the private hospitals for consultations on the inclusion of their TAPs in the GHS, otherwise these departments will have to be closed. He also raised the issue of salaries, saying that a hospital that has a first aid department should be paid differently and a hospital that does not have a first aid department should be paid differently.
For his part, Stavros Papadouris, MP for the Ecologists, said that we have a mono-insurance system, but it works as a multi-insurance system, which means that "we are applying the legislation incorrectly". He noted that the flexible policy applied by the OAI three years after the implementation of the YESY should be ended.
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In addition, Papaconstantinou said that on-call doctors are expected to start on June 1 and that details will be announced soon.
"They are primary services, such as personal physicians, and we want to extend them to weekends and holidays," Papaconstantinou said, adding that everyone will participate on a basis with a schedule that will be drawn up and public medical centers are being utilized.
For his part, Odysseus Michaelides said he cannot understand the whole issue and questioned how personal physicians can do this work. We would understand it perfectly if they were medical specialists," he added, noting that the Audit Office will look into the matter.
Meanwhile, in a statement, the Cyprus Federation of Patients' Associations (CPA) expressed its strong dissatisfaction and protest after not being invited to attend and this is happening for the second time in just one week. This fact, the Federation added, raises "legitimate questions". "By right, the OSAA has earned a seat at the table of dialogue and therefore should be informed and invited to have a representative attend and present the views of the organised patients' movement," the Federation concluded.
Source: CNA
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