Filenews 20 February 2023 - by Marilena Panayi
It approves that the outgoing government has caught up, but its decisions on at least four important bills dealing with serious health issues do not anticipate the follow-up. Everything will depend on the intentions of the new government and the new Minister of Health and if we take into account the fact that all four of these bills have gone through great adventures in recent years due to objections and strong disagreements, it is easy to see that the road to their adoption by Parliament will not be easy at all.
On the eve of the expiration of his term of office, the Council of Ministers approved last Wednesday the bill concerning the creation of the Institution of the Patient Ombudsman, while as we are informed, the bill concerning the establishment and operation of university hospitals in Cyprus, is in the Legal Service for legislative scrutiny and the Ministry of Health is optimistic that by next week it will be in the hands of Michalis Hatzipantelas to put this before the Ministerial for approval.
On the way to the last meeting of the Council of Ministers of the outgoing government, is the bill that provides for the operation of ambulance services, while a bill concerning the operation of rehabilitation centres has already been approved and submitted to Parliament, with its fate of course also unknown, as the new Minister of Health will have the right to withdraw and review it.
It is worth mentioning that three of the four bills, those concerning ambulance services, the operation of university hospitals and the operation of rehabilitation centres, had been under discussion for years, while they had been submitted to Parliament before, but their discussion was interrupted due to the disagreements that had been recorded between the parties involved.
In fact, in the case of the bill concerning the establishment of university hospitals, it should not be considered at all certain that this time, if it eventually ends up in Parliament again, there will be no more heated debates. This is because, although the necessary consultation process has been carried out, it is not certain that all those involved have fully agreed with its content. It is recalled that in the past, the government's intention to integrate academic doctors into public hospitals had provoked a strong reaction from the guilds of public doctors, which, as we are informed, have not yet said their last word.
As far as the bill on the operation of ambulances is concerned, the disagreements during the summer were also intense and it must be considered certain that even if it ends up as it is in Parliament, the debate on whether ambulances will come under the SHSO or an independent Authority will be very intense. In this case, too, the Ministry of Health has of course proceeded with the necessary consultation with all those involved, but, as we are informed, the contentious issue has probably not been settled in a way that satisfies all sides.
The bill concerning the operation of rehabilitation centres was also submitted to the Parliament and the discussion of its provisions began. Due to disagreements, however, but also some gaps that had been identified in its transitional provisions, the bill returned again to the ministry of health. The consultation took place and the new text was sent to the Parliament, immediately after its closure for the presidential elections. It is worth mentioning that the absence of a law governing the operation of rehabilitation centres already affects the rehabilitation services offered under the GHS, as the HIO cannot conclude agreements with all rehabilitation centres operating in Cyprus, since they do not have the necessary permits.
Commenting to "F" on the promotion of the bills by the outgoing government, the president of the Cyprus Federation of Patients' Associations, Marios Kouloumas, expressed the satisfaction of the organized patients, however, pointed out that "a possible reassessment by the new government may lead to a setback. We already know that there are still objections and disagreements, which will be seen in the House and will certainly cost time until these bills reach a vote."
With an eye on the Ombudsman, the patients
As far as the Patient Ombudsman is concerned, it is recalled that the bill was prepared after consultation with the stakeholders. However, the Ministry of Health proceeded, without informing about its final decisions, to significant changes that had provoked a strong reaction from organized patients, who argued that the amendments altered and "unraveled" the institution of the Patient Ombudsman. The issue had reached great proportions during 2022, as a result of which the intervention of the President of the Republic was required and meetings were held between those involved in the Presidential, in order to return the bill, for the most part, to its original form.
It is the only one of the four bills that never reached the Parliament, since in previous years objections and disagreements about its content constantly arose. His adventure was as great as the other three bills and it should be mentioned that under normal circumstances the Office of the Patient Ombudsman would operate before the start of the implementation of the General Health System in June 2019.
The follow-up to this bill, too, should not be considered certain, as in the past some have argued that there is a conflict of responsibilities between the Patient Ombudsman and the Commissioner for Supervision for the GHS. For this reason, the Council of Ministers, in order to address possible legal objections, in parallel with the approval of the bill on the Patient Ombudsman, proceeded last Wednesday to approve an amendment to the legislation concerning the responsibilities of the Commissioner for the GHS.
For the OSAK, Mr. Kouloumas said, "the bill for the Patient Ombudsman is particularly important. It is something that should have been done many years ago and is a complement to the law on patients' rights. We hope that it will make its way to the Parliament and we hope that the new government, too, will have the will to promote and support it."
Osak, stressed Mr. Kouloumas, "will not accept any new changes that will alter the role of the Patient Ombudsman. We fought battles last year claiming an Ombudsman for all patients in Cyprus. If necessary we will repeat it."
INTERVENTION
Everyone's interests
The course of the four bills in the previous years, highlighted the strong disagreements that exist between the bodies involved in the health sector, organizations and guilds. Unfortunately, in all four cases, the bills ran counter to the interests of some, with the result that at the moment the ambulances of Cyprus operate without legislation, the rehabilitation centres operate without the relevant permits, the patients do not have the Ombudsman, which all other European patients have at their disposal and Cyprus records global originality, since it has medical schools but no university hospitals. Now, are we going to find the edge?
