Proposed bill for doctor-to-patient app ready by October

A law proposal regulating the use of an app is to be prepared by October for patients to communicate directly with their doctors and have immediate access to medical help and prescriptions, the chairman of the House health committee, Efthymios Diplaros, announced on Thursday.

In a statement after the committee’s meeting, he said the initiative came from the chairman of the House commerce committee, Kyriacos Hadjiyiannis, and himself personally.

“We have seen all the relevant stakeholders applauding this initiative and to this end we estimate that by the end of October, we will have prepared the legislative proposal,” Diplaros said.

He said this will give patients the opportunity to communicate with their doctor through an app on their mobile devices.

He described it as “a pioneering action”, adding that this app was already being implemented in Germany and will be launched in France.

Hadjiyiannis said this would help thousands of patients, especially those suffering from chronic diseases as it will give them the opportunity to get immediate advice from their physician.

As an example, Hadjiyiannis mentioned those suffering from diabetes, who should have their blood oxygen levels and blood pressure regularly monitored, saying that these measurements will be done automatically in-app, thereby allowing the patient as well as their doctor, to monitor patient wellness or disease progression.

Hadjiyiannis explained that these measurements will be able to be made either through smart watches or other devices approved by European bodies.

Concluding, Diplaros added that they have had a positive response from the health ministry as well as the privacy commissioner, who are waiting for the proposed law to be prepared and sent to them to make their submissions before the House health committee.