Press Conference of the General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL S.Stefanou on the dramatic situation of Public Hospitals

 

10 July 2024, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

Today’s press conference seeks to reiterate our concern about the prevailing dramatic situation in public hospitals. A situation that undermines their role and perspective within the National Health Scheme (GESY) system and, at the same time is disturbing patients.

The current situation reveals:

• Serious deficits in the management of public hospitals.
• Clinics operating with just two doctors, as in Famagusta.
• Actual revenues have declined in 2024 in relation to the Budget and this is due, inter alia, to the erroneous management of public hospitals.
• Revenues from inpatient and outpatient care have fallen and from the TAPs have fallen, since the negative image and problems of public hospitals have reduced attendance.

It goes without saying that all this will lead to a budget deficit.

• There is no Capacity Plan (planning the country’s health map) therefore there is no understanding of what the real needs are, how they will evolve over time and how the system will develop.
• There is no Road Map for Development.
• There is no planning for the issues raised by health professionals.
• Staff recruited by the State Health Services OKYPY remain without regulated terms and conditions of employment through a collective bargaining agreement.
• There is no robust and effective leadership in the OKYPY.

What was the main objective of the autonomy, namely the upgrading and modernization of public hospitals, has not been fulfilled.

Most serious of all, there seems to be no political will so far to do what is needed to address the existing problems – neither on the part of President Christodoulides, nor the Minister of Health.

The deafening intervention of the Ministry of Health from what is happening in public hospitals, the inability to handle the ongoing crises, has aggravated the problems. It is now a question of the very survival of public hospitals and the GESY.

Here too, the President and the competent Minister must provide clear answers: how do they assess the situation and the work of the NHS and what will they do to solve the problems?

The government must at long last taken on its responsibility and stop hiding.

The government appoints the Board of the OKYPY to implement its policies. It is therefore now called upon to reply to the following question: Does it agree with the totally accounting logic being pursued in the management of public hospitals that are gradually altering their character?

As everyone knowns, AKEL sent two letters to the President of the Republic, in November 2023 and May 2024, on public health issues.

We have also informed the President in writing that for some time now various hedge funds have been buying up hospitals, imaging centres and laboratories, aggressively intervening in the public health sector.

We pointed out that public hospitals remain without structure, without adequate staffing and as a result are gradually being led to decline and disintegration.

We pointed out that important sections of public health, such as the mental health sector, remain without support. Instead of focusing on viable and effective solutions, OKYPY is resorting to the purchase of services system.

The Capacity Plan for the development of a centrally planned health sector, which the previous Minister told us would be ready in December 2023, as the Ministry of Health has finally informed us may be ready in December 2026.

We have twice requested a meeting with the President of the Republic to discuss these serious issues and submit our proposals. We never received, any response whatsoever. Apparently this is what the President means by the dialogue that he himself says he is seeking.

What are the President and Minister of Health waiting for? To allow developments to take on a disintegrating path of no return? For a day to dawn when they will say “you know, there’s no alternative, we have to change the character of the GESY”?

It was AKEL that called for the extension of the funding of the OKYPY for the duration of the pandemic. But this funding was not unconditional. We called for the extension to be accompanied by specific decisions and actions that would address the problems and promote the autonomy of public hospitals. We don’t see this happening!

We demand that the Board of OKYPY abandon authoritarian attitudes and immediately brief parliamentary parties on the roadmap for the modernization and reorganization procedure, as well as the strategic plan that will follow with specific timetables for its implementation.

We demand that the President of the Republic and the competent Minister with political responsibility should act towards this end. AKEL’s position is that changes to the composition of the Board of OKYPY are urgently needed, as well as to the way it operates, through the necessary regulations through legislation.

AKEL will defend with all its forces the character and philosophy of the GESY, which is inextricably linked to the upgrading of public hospitals and the safeguarding of their role in the field of public health.