The aim of the physiotherapists, who have decided to go on a two-hour work stoppage[/B] on Friday, September 16, is not to inconvenience patients, but to ensure what has been agreed with the OAI and the sustainability of their services, President of the Pancyprian Association of Physiotherapists (PPA) Irene Zannettou told CNA. The work stoppage will take place between 09:00 am and 11:00 am
Zannettou said that physiotherapists are pro-patient and advocates of the GHS, but as she explained after the continued indifference of the OAI to our demands, we have decided to proceed with a process of measures and officially proceed with the announcement of a two-hour work stoppage on Friday, September 16.
"Physiotherapists cannot continue to fund through reductions and cutbacks the increased needs of patients," he continued, calling on their patients and citizens to stand with them and support them in order to remove the blatant injustice done to their detriment.
We are not asking for an increase in our pay, but to restore it to the originally agreed amounts, she said, adding that physiotherapists' pay has been reduced by 15% for the past year, due to an increase in benefits offered by the OAI to groups of patients (by 30%), without any measures to protect their pay.
According to Ms. Zannetou, some two years after the inclusion of physiotherapists, the sector has to face the fact that the calculations on the basis of which the agreements were made during the consultations prior to their inclusion no longer represent the current demands of the population for physiotherapy within the SHI, resulting in a continued reduction in physiotherapists' remuneration. This, he said, has resulted in their costs not being covered, to a large extent, and their services not being paid fairly and on the basis of what was agreed.
He also said that the OAS intends to increase benefits further, with the certain result of a further reduction in physiotherapists' pay if corrective measures are not taken in the budget.
He added that "OAI is not responding positively to the budget correction and is constantly asserting unsubstantiated pretexts to distract from the real facts and is essentially ignoring the demands of physiotherapists."
At the same time, he clarified that y rightly the OAS offers more benefits to patients beneficiaries, as the goal of the GHS is access to health care for all, but we demand our fair and honest remuneration as agreed for physiotherapists enrolled in the GHS.
Zannettou said the Association has 1400 registered physiotherapists of which 850 are on the GESY.
Source: CNA
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