“Evening operations” in public hospitals in Greece – at the expense of patients

The Greek Ministry of Health has set the stage for operations in public hospitals in the afternoon at the expense of patients, even if they are insured, including in private insurance companies.

The government and the ministry are determined to embark on a series of measures and changes, which they call “improving public health”, despite the reaction of doctors and nurses in public hospitals, as well as several organizations for the chronically ill and disabled.

Regarding the so-called. “Evening Operations” The Ministry of Health has already prepared and submitted to Parliament the relevant law, but the fundamental issues have not yet been worked out.

The bill, which will be voted on in plenary session next week, leaves serious questions unanswered:

• It is stated that patients will pay for “afternoon operations”, but it does not specify how much or percentage they will pay for the operation, as well as the fees of doctors and medical staff.
• Citing sources in the Ministry of Health, daily ethnos reports that “the amount the patient will be required to pay privately is still being requested and is expected to be close to the amount public health organization EOPYY is currently reimbursing private clinics.”
• One of the main problems that is expected to arise and does not yet have an answer: where patients will be treated for surgery in the afternoon.

Most polyclinics in public hospitals are 100% full, so patients are hospitalized in the corridors, recalls Ethnos. GAzeta cites the example of Sismanoglio Hospital, one of the largest public hospitals in Athens, where both surgical clinics have a total of 59 beds that are constantly fully occupied.

The main problem with “evening” surgeries is whether morning surgeries, which are free for patients, will become of lower quality, so that doctors have the strength to serve patients who choose “evening” paid surgeries.

In addition, other questions arise about the priority that will be observed for those who need/want to have immediate surgery free of charge, and whether the priority order will be bypassed to pay doctors in the afternoon.

Health Minister Thanos Pleuris recently said in defense of the bill that “measures” would be taken to ensure that surgeons who operate in the afternoon will perform similar operations in the morning as well.

The bill, among other things, emphasizes that “evening polyclinics and surgical rooms are being activated and modernized. Citizens are offered medical services within the framework of the state system at a fixed rate. So the hospital has income, the doctors esy and nurses, it will increase, citizens will have options with reasonable compensation. Private insurance companies will also be involved in this context.”

The leadership of the Ministry of Health hopes that the system of public hospitals will be ready to start evening operations in a few months, notes daily ethnos.gr in your report.

PS As I understand it, insurance medicine, which has been created in Greece for so many years, in fact died a long time? Since in parallel with it, paid medicine is being introduced in public hospitals built on citizens’ taxes, to which all priorities will be given in the future. And the reason, apparently, is that those insane amounts that everyone pays (paid) for health insurance were successfully spent on various projects (most likely covid), and (or) torn apart between friends and relatives of responsible officials.

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