Filenews 14 October 2021
The issue of the creation and operation of the National Ambulance Service was found on Thursday before the Health Committee of the Parliament, after an issue was written by the Parliamentary Group of AKEL.
During the session it was said that at this stage the intention of the Ministry of Health is to operate a National Ambulance Service, under the supervision of the State Health Services Organization (CYSO), while it was noted that at a later stage the system will be reassessed.
It was also mentioned that there will be consultation with all stakeholders and that the revised bill will be prepared on the basis of the consultation that will take place.
Moreover, the majority of the stakeholders who were before the House Health Committee today were in favour of the creation of an independent National Ambulance Body covering both the public and the private sector.
The Deputy President of the Health Committee and MEMBER of the DISY, Savia Orfanidou, stressed the need to speed up the process, noting that the consultation process should be completed immediately, so that a bill, which will govern this whole system, will come before the Committee, always aiming at providing the best care for all patients.
As he said, the Ministry of Health took a clear position today, saying that in the first phase its intention is to create a National Authority, which will be an Ambulance Service within the framework of the CySEC in a transitional stage and will be able to evaluate the whole system later, to see if a single National Authority can be made.
He said that all stakeholders have taken a stand on the matter, while noting that a strong appeal from many was for private ambulances to join this National Agency.
"What we asked as DISY is that the consultation process should be completed immediately, in order to have before us a bill that will govern this whole system with the aim always of providing the best care for all patients," he said.
On behalf of AKEL, MP Marina Nikolaou pointed out that the consultation of the Ministry of Health with the stakeholders should be accelerated and the revised bill submitted as soon as possible by the executive to the Health Committee of the Parliament.
As he said "it is necessary for a state, which wants to call itself modern, to have a National Ambulance Service, which is dedicated to its role".
"A service that will not depend on profits and other interests," he noted.
DIKO MP Chrysanthos Savvidis said that his party expects the government to conclude the dialogue with the competent bodies and immediately submit a bill, which will contribute to the upgrading of the quality of emergency care.
He noted that his party has received complaints that while ambulances have been called for serious incidents there has been around 40 years' delay, resulting in the risk of lives.
The MP of the Democratic Party, Michalis Giakoumis, said that this issue deserves priority, noting that for his party "the provision of urgent pre-hospital and appropriate health care and the transfer to the nearest and most appropriate medical center is of decisive importance and a factor whether a human life will be lost or saved".
He expressed the position for the immediate submission of the bill by the Ministry of Health for consultation.
CNA
