Meeting on expansion of A&E departments

Health Minister Popi Kanari held a meeting on Wednesday centred on the A&E departments within the national healthcare system, Gesy, as more former private emergency departments have joined and protocols need to be ironed out.

A key point of discussion are the protocols within which patients are referred to hospitals from A&E departments for cases which are urgent but cannot be dealt with there.

The meeting – attended by the health ministry’s director, Okypy and health insurance organisation (HIO) officials, among others – also focused on how A&E departments will be evaluated and categorised.

Representatives from former private A&E departments were also present at the meeting.

Kanari is set to receive within the next two weeks the recommendations of the health committee on this matter.

The developments are highly anticipated by the minister as she said more departments have joined Gesy and more are expected to do so shortly.

“From the moment that Gesy has had new A&E departments and we are expecting another to join, likely within the next week, the decisions we take must be immediate,” the minister said.