Filenews 23 November 2021
With a view to the human-centred safeguarding of the country's health system through the continuous upgrading of the services provided, the report of the Ministry of Health's work by the Minister, Michalis Hadjipantelas, was presented today at the Presidential Palace.
€71.9 mil. overall budget for actions under the Recovery and Resilience Plan
The Minister made particular reference to the Recovery and Resilience Plan, analyzing seven actions that will be implemented directly by the Ministry of Health, with a total budget of €21.9 million, and 12 actions to be implemented by the CySEC, the OAC and the National eHealth Authority, with a total budget of €71.9 million. Specifically, he said, the investments and reforms aimed at upgrading the quality of the services provided, include, among others:
- The creation of a National Center for Clinical Documentation and Quality Improvement, with the aim of improving the efficiency of health services and at the same time preserving and sustainability of the health system, through the development and implementation of medical protocols, which is currently being studied for tendering.
- The creation of an electronic platform for the surveillance of hospital consumption of antibiotics and healthcare - associated infections, which is in the early stages of planning.
- The development of an innovative public health information system within the general framework of monitoring and controlling communicable diseases and preparedness for every pandemic, which is currently being tendered.
- The sponsorship plan for the accreditation of the healthcare services provided in public and private hospitals, whose revised Plan has completed the public consultation process, with a re-announcement within the second half of 2021.
- The development of eHealth solutions for easier access to patient care, ePrescription and eDispensing. (Competent eHealth Authority), aiming at seamless cross-border healthcare and safe access to patient health information between European healthcare systems that is currently under consultation.
- The gradual shift of the framework of healthcare provision and reimbursement towards value-based models within the GHS. The aim, he said, is to change from the capitation model to the introduction of compensation based on quality indicators. In inpatient, the Minister pointed out, the aim is to introduce qualitative Indicators of Reimbursement Performance, since so far this is based on the quantity of operations, using a pre-agreed unit price with each hospital, a measure for which the HIO is expected to call for tenders.
- Strengthening the existing isotopic databases of traditional Cypriot food/beverages, by developing an electronic Blockchain platform to ensure their identity, a process which he said has been completed.
- The creation of new facilities for the Cyprus Blood Centre and the supply of state-of-the-art equipment.
- Strengthening, modernization and upgrading of the State Hospitals of Cyprus - Construction and/ or expansion of a Haemodialysis Unit in all State Hospitals, with the project having begun in Paphos and a relevant site having been determined in Limassol.
- The construction of a new Mental Health Hospital and the supply of state-of-the-art auxiliary equipment, a project that has been announced by the Public Works.
- The creation of a Unit of Communicable Diseases at the Limassol General Hospital, a project for which an ad hoc committee of experts has been established, which has begun the identification of the specific needs and spaces to be covered by the Unit.
€125 mil amount in excess of the approved budget of the Ministry by 31 October
The Minister stressed that in the midst of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry continues its endless efforts to protect public health, with the least possible loss of human lives, and in ways that allow the economic and social living of the country. He also referred to the operation since January 2021 of vaccination centres in a Pancyprian range, with the subsequent addition of the free-attendance vaccination centres.
Regarding the ministry's action during the pandemic, the Minister referred to the development of the Famagusta General Hospital as a Reference Hospital for Covid-19 as a result of the cooperation with the Cyprus Health Service. He mentioned the staffing of the medical and nursing staff and the requisition of more than 360 doctors and nurses after the use of a relevant decree, and the overtime coverage by the medical and nursing staff in response to the huge needs of the Intensive Care Units. A total of 5,200 patients were referred for care to the private sector inside and outside the GHS, while the coverage of the Unit of Epidemiological Surveillance and Control of Infectious Diseases was also strengthened. Closing the chapter of the report on the pandemic, he referred to the rate of completion of a full vaccination regimen by the general population, which amounts to 67.3%, with the adult population reaching 81%. The Minister also said that vaccinations with the third dose reached 78,583.
GHS: The biggest reform
Subsequently, the Minister referred to the GHSY's course to date, describing it as the biggest reform in the history of the Republic of Cyprus, since the transition to this new system increased, as he said, the accessibility of patients to health professionals, while the mandatory registration of all medical acts in the GHS system, offered, as he said, the possibility of secondary control and, by extension, the adoption of corrective measures. According to the Minister, so far, more than 914,000 beneficiaries are registered with a Personal Doctor, followed by an analysis of the number of visits, the number of citizens who received medication through the GHS, and the number of diagnostic tests and inpatient care services. In terms of health professionals, he added, 691 Personal and 1,895 Specialists have contracted with the OSA, while 56 Hospitals, 154 Laboratories, 568 Pharmacies and 46 Radio-diagnostic Centres have been registered with the GHS.
The aim is to license medical cannabis
Regarding the issue of medicinal cannabis, the Minister said that the aim is to allow the licensing of its production in Cyprus by 2023. At the moment, he added, a process of amending the regulations is underway, in accordance with recommendations from the Legal Service of the Republic, while the draft of the revised relevant regulations is in the process of being consulted by the end of the year. After the conclusion of the consultation, he said, a legislative scrutiny will follow and then the regulations will be submitted to the House for approval.
Report of the Ministry's expenditure
Concluding the presentation of the report of the work of the Ministry of Health, Mr. Hadjipantelas analyzed the expenditure of the Ministry, stating that for 2022 they constitute 14.8% and 14.2% for 2020 and 2021 respectively of the entire State Budget, as it was submitted to the House of Representatives. He added that the total health expenditure in the state budget constitute about 5% of GDP, taking into account the contribution of the state as an employer to the GHS. The total budgeted expenditure for the year 2022, he said, amounts to €1,050m. compared to €1,026 mil. in 2021, showing an increase of €24m, while budgeted revenues for the year 2022 are at the same levels as in 2021 and amount to €288.5m. for 2022, against €287 mil. of 2021. The Minister pointed out that the largest revenue with an amount of €265.7 million is the Remuneration of the seconded personnel to the CySEC.
