Austerity seriously harms and in some cases leads to the loss of human lives
Statement of Georgos Loucaides, AKEL C.C. Spokesperson
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 20th April 2016, Nicosia
AKEL calls on the government to abandon the vicious austerity policy being implemented, particularly in the health sector, given that its impact in this area is tragic for thousands of our fellow citizens.
We consider any attempt to portray a misleading rosy picture of the situation in the Health sector by the government and ruling forces as criminal, since for many of our fellow underprivileged citizens suffering economically, the waiting lists have already become death lists. The very precious right to health care from a basic right that it should be for everyone is steadily becoming a privilege for the even fewer privileged.
Cypriot society demands, which AKEL has long promoted, that the € 330 million less that this government has spent on health over the last three years in order to create a fiscal austerity surplus, should be put back into public health so as to meet the urgent needs that exist. They should be invested back into society, together with the reorganization and upgrading of public hospitals as part of their autonomy.
They should be invested back in society, implementing the National Health Scheme, which the Anastasiades government made sure to freeze as it had failed to impose a multi-insurance system and to burden citizens with € 300 million annually for the profits of the private insurance companies.
