Filenews 17 June 2021 - by Marilena Panagi
Chronic patients in the GHS will be treated differently in terms of physiotherapy services, but outside the system remain the specialized examinations carried out by the Karaiskakio Foundation and the Institute of Neurology and Genetics Cyprus as well as the nutritional preparations of intestinal and parenteral nutrition with the difference, however, that all doctors of the GHS will now have the right to prescribe them and not only doctors of the public sector.
With regard to physiotherapy services, the OAU has already put in place a transitional stage for specific groups of diseases (neurological, neurological for children and musculoskeletal) for which physiotherapists and the attending physician have the right to submit, together, a request to the Agency to increase the allowable number of sessions for patients whose condition requires it. At the same time, the revision of the physiotherapy programme for chronic patients is being promoted, since it has been established that, after six months of the integration of physiotherapists into the GHS, certain groups of beneficiaries need de facto different treatment.
As a transitional stage, and until the finalization of the new data on chronic patients, GHS has announced how physiotherapists and doctors can request an increase in physiotherapy sessions, exceptionally for specific patients.
According to the notice, 'requests must be registered by the physiotherapist who has carried out the evaluation of the beneficiary together with the treating specialist doctor' and 'the request procedure includes the completion of the relevant form and submission together with any relevant information required', electronically.
As the senior officer of the OA, Monica Kyriakou, explained to "F", "this procedure concerns the granting of more sessions exceptionally, and after the physiotherapist and doctor have signed the relevant application to which there are specific criteria and conditions". The request, he said, "is then considered by a Committee of Experts which makes the recommendation to the Agency as to whether the request is justified and should be approved or not.
Already, Ms. Kyriakou, "additional meetings have been granted to some beneficiaries of the GHS" and added that "the number added is proportional to the problem and if it is subsequently determined that the beneficiary needs a larger number of sessions, then the request is re-evaluated".
As far as chronic patients are concerned, the senior officer of the OSA said that "the matter will be studied by committees of experts and the criteria will be set for each group". "That is the intention of the Agency and we are working in this direction," he stressed.
A few out of 12 treatments a year
It is recalled that a request was made a few months ago by the Cyprus Paraplegic Organisation, which brought before the OAC the difficulties faced by its mainly quadriplegic members, who need a large number of physiotherapy treatments each year, with the result that at present, the "ceilings" set in the framework of the GHS oblige them to pay out of their own pocket.
As OPAK stated in its letter, "members of our Organization are individuals who acquire paraplegia or quadriplegia after Spinal Cord Injury and almost all with severe paralysis in the legs or even in the hands. Physiotherapy for some of our members is necessary for life and was received without limitation in public hospitals. Unfortunately, after the inclusion of physiotherapists in the GHS, physiotherapies decreased to 12 a year and this created several questions and reflections in our members". In particular, according to the OPAK, some people with paraplegia or quadriplegia need physiotherapy both as internal and external patients. for instance:
• Routine physiotherapy to prevent complications and reduce spasticity.
• Physiotherapy after another trauma, for example after tendinitis, which we often face due to the extra burden mainly on the hands.
• Some people need maintenance physiotherapy especially in incidents of incomplete that have some movement. That is, people who have not completely lost movement in their hands or feet and need physiotherapy so as not to relapse and lose the movement they have. This is also necessary in some cases in people with paraplegia/quadriplegia without any movement for other reasons.
"As you can see, the number of 12 treatments per year is not enough for almost anyone and needs to be reviewed and a procedure is urgently needed to quickly approve requests for more than 12/year," the Paraplegic Organisation said.
Specialized examinations and dietary preparations will be covered
Outside the GHS, at least for the next period, the specialized examinations carried out by the Karaiskakio Foundation and the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics remain, since, as the Ministry of Health has written an update, their inclusion is contrary to the absence of legislation allowing the provision of these services by all clinical laboratories.
At the same time, outside the GHS, the administration of intestinal and parenteral nutrition preparations will also remain, but patients will have at their disposal through the procedures of the Ministry of Health.
For both the specialized examinations and the nutritional preparations, the Council of Ministers took a decision yesterday and until the preparation and promotion of the relevant bills these services will continue to be financed from the budget of the Ministry of Health with the right of prescription or referral, both by doctors (specific specialties), the OKYP, the Oncology Centre of the Bank of Cyprus and ING , as well as from the private doctors of the GHS.
