OEB is driving a wedge into three of the biggest pending issues of Health and has already opened its cards, expressing its intentions to the Minister of Health both for the problem that plagues the Sector and concerns the lack of nurses and the huge issue of the establishment of university clinics that has been stagnant for more than a decade.
At the same time, the Federation of Employers and Industrialists requested and received from Neophytos Charalambidis, detailed information on the progress of the procedures that are in progress and concern the operation of the National Ambulance Agency, claiming equal treatment between the private and public sector.
In fact, as we are informed, the leadership of the Federation, which had a meeting with the Minister of Health, clearly set out its demands for clear rules and conditions for emergency transport and proper and organized involvement of private ambulances in the program of simple transfers and transfers of patients to health service structures.
On the part of the government, there do not seem to be any particular disagreements with the positions of OEB at least as far as the issues of nurses are concerned, while for the university clinics, the positions, after the new round of contacts that the Minister of Health had with the stakeholders will be clarified tomorrow during the discussion of the issue in the parliamentary committee on Health.
10% under discussion in order to proceed with the legislation
On the issue of nurses, OEB seems determined this time to push for the procedures to proceed without further delay, having expressed to the Minister its readiness to accept the ceiling of 10% (ratio of foreign nurses to total nursing staff per hospital), which is included in the amendments to the legislation on the employment of nurses from third countries.
Specifically, and as we are informed, the Federation does not intend, at this stage, to insist on its disagreement with this ratio, in order not to be an obstacle to the voting of the amendments submitted by the Ministry of Health last March.
The retreat, however, should not be considered final, since the OEB leaves open the possibility of bringing the issue back to a later time, if this is deemed necessary, with the Federation maintaining its position that it would be more correct and in the case of nurses to apply what applies to the employment of workers from third countries in the other sectors of the economy.
Regarding the needs for nursing staff, as they emerged from the relevant study of the Ministry of Health (a gap of about 600 nurses), OEB pointed out the fact that the needs of palliative care and community nursing had not been included in the calculations. For the Federation, this fact makes it even more imperative to promote and implement without further delay the solutions that have already been discussed and to create the conditions for strengthening the available pool of nursing staff.
For the time being, however, the general stance of OEB seems to be clearly leaning in the direction of voting on the amendments that are already pending in Parliament, in order to meet the immediate needs of the Health sector.
It is placed next to the hospitals for the residents
OEB is also opening a pressure front in university clinics, with the Federation believing that, after more than a decade of discussions, the bill should finally be brought to a vote.
This position is of particular importance in view of tomorrow's debate in the Parliamentary Committee on Health, during which it is expected to become clear whether the last round of contacts between Neophytos Charalambidis and the stakeholders has created room to bridge the differences that still exist.
OEB, however, is opening its cards on one of the most controversial points of the bill, that of the training of resident doctors.
The Federation believes that the private sector should also be included in the relevant provisions, so that hospitals that meet the required specifications can participate in the training of resident doctors. At the same time, it sets as a necessary condition the existence of safeguards, strict criteria and serious conditions, so that this right is granted only to hospitals that can actually meet the requirements of education.
At this point, the positions of OEB are essentially identical to those submitted by PASIN, which also claims the possibility of private hospitals participating in the training of resident doctors. The Federation also said in this case that it is ready to exert its own pressure, so that the process is not led to a new postponement and the legislative pending is closed.
Protocols will show the way to the ambulances
The third major issue discussed is at a different stage, since for the National Ambulance Agency the legislation has already been passed and the burden now falls on its implementation.
OEB raised with the Minister of Health the issue of the distribution of emergencies among hospitals that have A&E, calling for clear rules and equal treatment of the public and private sectors. According to the Federation, the way in which the distribution is done today does not seem to be working as it should.
Neophytos Charalambidis, as we are informed, informed the leadership of OEB that, in the context of the preparation for the operation of the National Agency, protocols are already being prepared which will determine to which A&E each incident will be directed.
The basic principle will be the transfer to the nearest appropriate hospital from the pick-up point. Distance, however, will not be the only criterion. The nature of the incident and the ability of the nearest available hospital to deal with it will be taken into account, so that the selection of the A&E is made on the basis of specific data.
In the same context, the second issue that is of particular interest to the private sector was raised: The participation of private ambulances in the simple transfers and transfers of patients.
And on this issue, the Minister of Health reportedly referred to the protocols that are being prepared, which are expected to determine how private services will be involved in the new system.
The details of the protocols thus become particularly important, as they will be the ones that will determine in practice how cases will be shared among the A&E departments, what criteria will be used to select the hospital and what role private ambulances will take on in non-emergency transport.
With the operation of the National Agency approaching, these issues are now moving from the level of general discussion to the much more difficult field of implementation. It is recalled that officially the Agency will start operating under the Ministry of Health in January 2027.
