The National Health Scheme and public health sector victims of neoliberal austerity policies and cuts

 

Statement of Georgos Loucaides, AKEL C.C. Spokesperson

AKEL C.C Press Office, 15th January 2016, Nicosia

The deteriorating and erratic policy of the government and ruling forces on the National Health Scheme (NHS) in the three years of their governance is truly a monument of untrustworthiness and a ridicule of the people.

Initially they pledged to implement the plans that had been agreed for the NHS. Then they decided to marginalize the Health Insurance Organization. They subsequently presented a Bill for a mixed system. Afterwards they openly disclosed that their goal was the establishment of a multi-insurance system. With the change of Health Minister they returned to the original plan for the NHS. Yesterday, the Minister of Health out of the blue announced the final abandonment of the government plans for the NHS, as he himself had presented it before the parties and involved agencies and proclaimed the so-called “mini-NHS”.

This most negative development regretfully confirms the warnings and denunciations issued by AKEL, that if the leadership and government of DISY will not be able to impose a multi-insurance system to serve the interests of a handful of insurance companies, then the plan that was agreed for the NHS would be abandoned. Besides, it’s not by chance that the only issue which the Government of DISY party and Anastasiades asserted and managed to secure continuous changes in the Memorandum was the postponement of the very implementation of the NHS.

However, it’s not only the NHS that has fallen victim of the obsessive pursuit of the government and ruling forces to serve big private interests in the highly sensitive area of health. The public health sector is also the tragic victim of the neoliberal austerity policies and cuts imposed by the government in excess of € 100 million, a sector which the government and ruling forces, instead of supporting in order to address the increased demand for services due to the crisis, have led it to collapse.

We urge the Anastasiades-DISY Government to abandon its socially cruel policies in the health sector as well, restoring the agreed plan drawn up for the NHS and increasing substantially expenditure on health, at least to the level it was when they assumed office. Otherwise they will continue to find us struggling against their plans.