Filenews 5 September 2025 - by Marilena Panagi
The procedures for the integration of the service of sending patients abroad into the General Health System have begun, with the Health Insurance Organization working feverishly with the aim of being ready to undertake the relevant program in October.
At the same time, of course, the Ministry of Health is also on alert, which is readjusting its data in order to limit its services to non-beneficiaries of the GHS. At the same time, it is rushing to settle the unpaid invoices of patient escorts that have been pending for a long time, resulting in inconvenience to citizens who are waiting.
In statements to "F", the Minister of Health, Michalis Damianos, said that September 19 will be the last day on which patients and their doctors will be able to submit requests for sending abroad to the Ministry of Health, "since from October 2 the program will be transferred, as is the schedule, to the HIO". The Ministry, Michalis Damianos clarified, "will continue to serve emergencies after September 19, until October 1."
"I believe that the HIO will be ready in October to undertake the program of sending patients abroad. For about three months now, HIO officials have been here at the Ministry and are being trained and all the planning has progressed in the Organization," the Minister of Health said, adding that according to the HIO's design, "there will be some variations in the procedures, compared to the procedures followed today, but I do not believe that this will cause problems for patients."
"We believe that everything will go well and we will certainly be here to support the HIO, if necessary. Let's not forget that 15%-20% of the missions will remain with the Ministry of Health, since it does not concern beneficiaries of the GHS and the HIO for legal reasons cannot undertake them. So the department will be here and will operate and provide all the support, if needed."
As far as the subsidy for escorts of patients is concerned, "this remains with the Ministry of Health. We know and recognize that there is some problem and delay at this time. In very urgent cases, the escorts take some money in advance but we certainly have delays. That is why we have increased the number of our officers and we are proceeding to see all the pending invoices in order to settle them. We already have almost ready the plan that will help us simplify the procedures. So we have problems and gaps and we are trying to manage them in the best way".
