Health stakeholders should act towards solving problems and not serve the interests of those who want to dismantle and reverse GESY
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 29th September 2020, Nicosia
The National Health Scheme (GESY) is one of our people’s greatest social achievements. Despite its existing problems and shortcomings, GESY from its first steps showed the benefits it has for society. However, there’s still a long way to go until GESY and its character are irrevocably established, until the attempts to reverse it by economic interests and policies serving ideological concepts – which have still not accepted GESY’s social orientation – are neutralized once and for all.
Many of the problems that arise today are rooted in the fact that the current government for years has been regressing on the character of GESY, instead of preparing the structures and mechanisms of the Health Insurance Organisation (OAY) and public hospitals for GESY. Indeed especially, as the government had been imposing austerity policies and cuts for years on public hospitals, leading to their dismantling and defamation.
The Ministry of Health cannot shift responsibilities on the OAY and the state health services (OKYPY). The government must act towards OKYPY and monitor the process of modernization and autonomy of public hospitals. Public hospitals need to be supported so that they will constitute the backbone of providing services within the system and, at the same time, a balancing mechanism between the system providers. Towards this end, professionals of public hospitals must be given the administrative and other tools that are demanded so that they can carry out its mission within the GESY.
The government must also take concrete steps to strengthen OAY structures, particularly with regards mechanisms for scrutinising abuses. The cooperation of medics-paramedics is necessary in this effort in order for scientifically substantiated clinical guidelines to be formulated that will be used to monitor abuses.
Finally, AKEL issues an appeal to all stakeholders in the health sector to act and take a stand themselves in a way that will contribute to the solution of problems and not in a way that serves the interests of all those who want to dismantle and reverse the GESY.
