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- Ελληνικά
Issues related to the General Health Insurance Scheme and the upgrading of the services offered by public hospitals were the focus of meetings between the President of the Republic, Mr.Nicos Christodoulides, and the leaderships of the OAI and the OKYPY, in the presence of the Ministers of Finance and Health.
In her statements after the conclusion of the meetings, Health Minister Dr. Poppy Kanari noted that the sustainability of the GHS has been ensured for the coming years, based on the plan and actions of the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO).
At the meeting with the OAI, the minister said, its action plan for the next year was examined, while the President of the Republic asked the organisation to present how its actions will be implemented by the end of September.
"Regarding the issue of innovative medicines, it was decided that a considerably increased budget would be introduced in the 2024 budget by the OAI and that the specific budget that was in the Ministry of Health would be limited," Dr. Kanari noted.
Regarding the issue of improving the services provided to patients by personal doctors, Ms. Kanari referred to the introduction of quality criteria on the basis of 80-20% from next September, the adoption of guidelines in order to have better supervisory control and the provision of incentives for the establishment of private health centres (group practices).
On the issue of medical specialists, the minister made reference to the introduction of criteria on the part of the OAI to limit distortions in relation to referrals, stressing that the state must provide equal access to primary and secondary care to all residents of the country.
He also mentioned that the Ministry raised some other issues to the OAI, such as increasing home care for elderly people, and expressed confidence that the actions of the OAI would be effective.
Regarding the meeting with the OCYP , Dr Kanari noted that the President of the Republic asked the leadership of the organization to present the ways in which, the public hospitals will get on track in terms of sustainability and quality of services.
The main issue of the organization, she explained, is that it received public hospitals that need improvement, upgrading and modernization. "The goal of the OCYP is to reduce costs but also to increase its revenues," he added.
He also mentioned the need for proper pricing of medical procedures and proper recovery of costs from the OAY and other organizations and services.
With regard to the TAPs, he pointed out the need to upgrade and modernize them. "For this purpose they have about €110 million at their disposal. The €48 million will be allocated under the Recovery and Resilience Plan," she said, noting that the Ministry will monitor the implementation of the projects.
Asked whether there are thoughts of studying a multi-insurance system in case something goes wrong with the sustainability of the GIS, Ms Kanari said that this was not raised at the meeting. What was discussed, she concluded, was the need to update a study that was done on the sustainability and strategic planning of the OHIP.
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Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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