Filenews 7 June 2022 - by Marilena Panagi
The public hospitals are heading for the afternoon operation, since after the doctors' guilds, the "yes" was said preliminary to the Organization of State Health Services and the guilds of the hospitals. Today, employees and the CySEC are expected to talk with the Minister of Health and it is not excluded that the relevant announcements will be made, although some details, regarding mainly the time of the start of the implementation of the new timetable and some issues regarding the compensation of nurses participating in surgical operations, have not yet been finalized.
Specifically and as reported by "F", the nurses' branch of PASYDY and the Pancyprian Guild of Nurses held last Friday a meeting with the CySEC during which they seem to have reached an agreement.
It is recalled that the two guilds had previously set specific conditions for the CSO and the Organization on Friday gave its relevant answers.
On the issue of hospital staffing, the CySEC, who had also conducted a relevant study, assured that it is satisfactory and that the afternoon work will not affect the smooth operation of the Clinics / Departments. Of course, the results of the study have not yet been presented to the nurses' guilds since this is something that will be done within the next few days. Based on what has been agreed, the proper staffing of the Departments / Clinics will be done by redeploying staff where and where needed without new recruitments.
As far as the financial aspect of the consultation is concerned, guilds and CSO seem to be in agreement to a huge extent.
For the services that will offer overtime in the outpatient clinics, the nurses will receive the provisions of the law of the Public Service depending on the scale of their employment.
For the various surgical and other operations, the participating team of nurses (3 people per operation) will receive 8% of the amount that the HIO will receive from the HIO for the services it will offer within the framework of the General Health System.
Initially, the CSO had proposed a percentage of 6.2% to the guilds which proposed 10% with the consultation eventually ending up in the 8% which PASYDY and PASYNO accept but, as we are informed, there are still some reactions from some nurses and mainly nurses working in the operating rooms. Since, however, overtime will be offered on a voluntary basis and the majority of nurses express satisfaction with the outcome of the consultations, the two guilds are not expected to raise any more objections since it is up to the nurses themselves whether or not to participate in operations performed during non-working hours.
It is also worth mentioning that the CSO, in order to reassure the nurses, has proposed the setting of a minimum compensation for nurses regardless of the amount that the Organization will receive from the HIO. That is, in cases where the 8%, in terms of money, will be less than the minimum compensation price, the CSO will pay the rest to the nurses. The minimum amount, as we are informed, has been set at €50 per nurse per operation.
Regarding the request of the guilds for proper planning of the beds in Departments and Clinics that will participate in the afternoon hours so as not to cause congestion due to deficiencies in the Accident Departments, nurses and HCSO, they agreed that a specific plan will be followed according to which the surgical interventions that will be performed during the afternoon hours and will concern "cold" (scheduled and non-scheduled emergencies) will in no case be carried out in weight of emergencies.
The afternoon opening hours of the hospitals will be from 3:00 to 7:00 on working days and will include both outpatient clinics and surgical procedures. It will not work for all Departments / specialties but only in cases where there are waiting lists or there is a demand from citizens and there are available nursing staff.
The presentation of the study conducted by the CySEC and concerning the staffing of the hospitals with nursing staff and the way in which the redeployment of staff will be enough to properly staff all departments / clinics that will operate during the afternoon hours, will be done in the guilds by the Organization on Friday.
CSO: Immediately but where and where there is a possibility
The date of the start of the afternoon opening hours of public hospitals has not yet been set since the nurses' guilds have put a request for its non-implementation, at least during the month of August, in order for the nurses to get the licenses for them without creating problems in the Departments / Clinics due to understaffing.
On the part of the CySEC, as reported by the "F", there is an intention for the immediate implementation of the overtime program without interruption during the month of August, provided, however, that during the non-working hours services will be offered only in the specialties / Departments where there will be a staffing possibility to achieve this.
This intention of the Agency is not opposed by the guilds which, however, continue to maintain their reservations. This issue is expected to be clarified during today's meeting that will take place under the Minister of Health, Michalis Hadjipantelas, among all those involved.
It is clarified that the guilds do not object in the afternoon hours to start its operation immediately, to continue in July, to be interrupted in August and to resume on September 1.
Following this development and given the agreement reached some time ago between the CySEC and the doctors' unions, the afternoon operation of the hospitals should be taken for granted.
It is reminded that doctors have been offered a fixed compensation of €115 for the services they will offer (per day) in outpatient clinics and a percentage of 20% of the amount that the HIO will be remunerated by the HIO for surgical and other operations. Finally, it is mentioned that doctors and cySEC have also reached an agreement on the financial incentive that medical specialists will receive, depending on the productivity of each Clinic / Department for the services offered to GHS beneficiaries.
