No privatisation of public hospitals says president

There will be no change to the way Gesy operates, nor will public hospitals be privatised, the government said on Monday after a meeting at the presidential palace on the problems faced within the health system.

President Nicos Anastasiades, Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantelas and a delegation from the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO) which runs Gesy discussed ways to improve checks and prevent abuse of the health system, while views were exchanged on the process of adding innovative drugs to the Gesy list.

This was as part of a series of meetings held by the president over the past week with all stakeholders in the health sector.

Hadjipantelas said after the meeting that explanations were requested for the problems faced in state hospitals, with the HIO and his ministry pledging “to work in harmony and cooperate to solve these problems that have plagued patients for a long time”.

He also said there was extensive discussion on the issue of including new drugs in the system, on the accident and emergency departments and abuses of the system.

Hadjipantelas reiterated that the government’s intention is that “there will be no changes in Gesy,” stressing that the president was clear that the philosophy of the health system would not change.

An official statement said that Anastasiades also stressed at the meeting that “there is no question of privatising public hospitals, emphasising that the sole purpose is to offer quality medical services to the people.”

The president also met recently with doctors and nurses’ unions, the federation of patients’ associations (Osak), but also representatives of the state health services organisation Okypy that runs state hospitals following complaints by healthcare professionals over numerous problems in state hospitals and lack of cooperation by Okypy in tackling them.

Osak had spoken of “the serious inability and disorganisation” of Okypy.