Our View: Some pressure groups operating in a fantasy world

Pressure groups, rightly or wrongly, have a big say in shaping government policies in Cyprus, as part of the idea of stakeholders’ society.

While some groups can make a positive contribution to the formulation of policies, others operate in a fantasy world making unrealistic demands, based on the assumption the state has unlimited resources and all it has to do is press a button to satisfy them.

Gesy is a prime example of this attitude, with the patients’ association complaining about every weakness of the system and demanding it is put right immediately regardless of cost.
As there are long waiting lists at the A&E departments of the public hospitals, it demands that more doctors and nurses are hired so that waiting times are reduced. The Health Insurance Organisation has placed a limit on the number of referrals to specialists a GP signs off each month, to end abuses, the patients’ association again protests.

The referral could be signed off the following month, which in most cases does not put a patient’s health at risk, but again it is not good enough. Budget limits have to be exceeded because this what the stakeholders demand; it is only urgent cases that should be referred.

In the UK it could take six months, if not longer, to get an appointment with a consultant, but in Cyprus we even consider a month’s delay unacceptable, because we are operating on the absurd assumption that resources are unlimited.

This week, we witnessed this attitude in the case of school chaperones. Kisoa, a group campaigning for disabled rights, held a news conference lambasting the education ministry for not making adequate chaperones available to accompany children with disabilities to schools. Parents had been protesting about the shortage for some time now, turning this into an issue about inclusive education. The Commissioner for the protection of the rights of children, joined the debate claiming the education ministry’s policies were not in line with inclusive education, as defined by the UN.

For the pressure group and the commissioner, the issue of resources was irrelevant – they wanted instant satisfaction of their demand. While integrated schools should be the ministry’s aim, it cannot happen overnight because some people are making a noise.
First, the funds would have to be found, then the chaperones would have to be hired and allocated to different schools. And the demand of one chaperone per child, as has been demanded is totally unrealistic, funding-wise. That all children with disabilities would be able to attend integrated schools is also unrealistic, as the education minister pointed out.

The other thing the minister should have made clear – and other ministers should also do when put under similar pressure – is that the state does not have unlimited funds to spend on whatever stakeholders are demanding. And it was the government’s responsibility to decide how these limited funds were spent.