A year and a half after the Parliament slammed the extra health benefits received by civil servants, retired government employees as well as members of their families, it was decided to reinstate them.
According to information from "F", a few weeks ago, the Council of Ministers approved a relevant legislation which will soon be submitted to the Parliament for approval.
The additional health services, in addition to those provided by the GHS, concern dental services provided by public hospitals, nutritional supplements for the elderly and coverage of specialized laboratory tests.
The specific medical and other services that the beneficiaries received were cut off by the Plenary Session of the Parliament in March 2024, following an amendment by DISY.
However, the cut-off did not affect all civil servants and retired government officials, as under the legal framework, some continue to benefit from additional health benefits.
These are, according to the legislation, the President of the Republic, the President of the Parliament, the ministers and MPs, the president and members of the Public Service Committee, the Educational Service Committee, active and retired police officers and members of the National Guard, as well as teachers.
Finance Minister Makis Keravnos, speaking to "F", confirmed the restoration of additional health benefits to beneficiaries. "What the Council of Ministers approved is the restoration of health services that were cut off by the Parliament and concern food supplements and dental services. It concerns a few, mainly elderly and disease-afflicted civil servants, who pay for expensive medicines. All the rest, including military, police and educational, semi-military employees, continue to receive," the minister clarified.
As we have been told, with the recent decision of the Council of Ministers, the other categories of public employees will also be granted additional health benefits after their exclusion from the Parliament.
However, the trade unions and other organized bodies had sent letters for several months and had made demarches for the restoration of these benefits.
Many times they had spoken of unequal treatment and violation of the principle of equality as some low-paid workers in the private and public sectors continue to enjoy additional health benefits.
At the same time, they accused the Parliament of unilaterally removing the acquis of a category of workers, without prior social dialogue. The problem was particularly noticeable among elderly former civil servants who, due to health problems they face, have to take special supplements for their diet.
In fact, there is a case where retired chronic patients who have been paying €600 per month for the last year and a half to obtain these dietary supplements, which before the decision of the Parliament benefited free of charge.
Those affected call on the members of Parliament to approve the relevant legislation when it is submitted to the Parliament, so that the specific benefit can be restored as soon as possible.
It is recalled that for years in semi-governmental organizations, despite the implementation of the GHS, supplementary health plans continue to operate, which cover health benefits that the plan does not offer.
It is worth noting that additional health benefits for employees of the wider public sector are being monitored and reviewed.
However, the issue of additional health benefits received by employees in semi-state organizations had been the subject of discussion in Parliament.
The additional health benefits are set out in the collective agreements of semi-public workers, which is why the trade unions insist on their implementation.
