Unlike the family doctor, which SYRIZA tried to introduce in 2018, the personal doctor is still popular with citizens, Health Minister Thanos Pleuris said in response to a topical question from SYRIZA MP Andreas Xanthou.

Mr. Plyuris dismissed criticism of the possibility of over-registration of citizens in the new system for a personal doctor, saying that the SYRIZA law provided for 2,250 people per doctor, and now it is 2,000 people. In the SYRIZA law, there was an obligation for a doctor to visit the population 20 hours a week in his duty, and the new law provides for 27 hours a week. The Family Doctor had about 750 private doctors, and in just four years, about 1.5 million people were registered. Since August 1, when the personal physician was elected and started working, we have 3,329 doctors in the system, approximately 2,200 from the public sector and 1,200 from the private sector. There are 4,000 family general practitioners who write at least 50 prescriptions a year. By the first days of September, 30% of private doctors expressed their desire and entered. There are currently 4,146,000 citizens registered, which corresponds to 47% of the population eligible for registration.

The difference, – noted the Minister of Health, – is that we have given benefits to state doctors. We give them 10,000 euros a year to make the population responsible. They are paid from “1501” to “2000”. Secondly, we have given a serious financial reward to individuals who will enter with a graduation from 857 patients to 2000, and money starting from 27,000 euros per year and going up to 70,000 euros per year. And for this reason, more doctors came in. Thirdly, since the doctors of this specialty cannot cover the institution 100%, we do what is done in Italy. We are opening pathoanatomical specialties so that there are more doctors.

The minister acknowledged that there are clearly failures in the system, since when 4,200,000 citizens registered in 45 days, and we reached the goal set by the departments for December 31, 2022, naturally there is pressure. Therefore, containment measures will not be applied until there are a sufficient number of doctors. Every day, from 290 to 300 doctors enter the system precisely because they see that the institution is now working. According to the Minister, thanks to the specialties and other interventions that will be provided to individuals, the Personal Doctor will become a reality. This quarter is pilot. Doctors will be involved, we will reach at least 70% of the eligible population, and for the first time in the country, a personal doctor will be introduced.

SYRIZA MP Andreas Xanthos, for his part, indicated that the new institution, despite the high-profile statements with which it was introduced, was based as a model on the logic that private doctors would be involved and that freelance doctors would support the institution. . This was not confirmed, he said, addressing the minister, and today you are in a real dead end. In our model, as in the rest of the world, the family doctor is based on the state system. Therefore, even today you mainly rely on doctors from state structures, on the threat of fines and fines. He calculated that there will be citizens who in reality will never see the personal doctor to whom they are assigned and to whom they are registered. That is, he is a personal doctor without an interpersonal relationship with the patient. This is by definition a complete failure of the model. And of course there can be no quality control and care for these people. At best, it will dry up in an electronic prescription with an intangible prescription, etc., and nothing more. This naturally leads to deadlock and failure. In fact, he pointed out that the children’s population, which is 17% of the country’s population, is outside the institution of “a personal doctor for everyone.”

The Minister of Health explained to Mr. Xanthos that there were obstacles in consultations with the institutions and in the law of A. Xanthos on the family doctor, the latter simply evaded the adoption of the relevant ministerial decision, while he showed it to the institutions. . Regarding the establishment of a personal pediatrician, Mr. Pluris stated that he would work in the next phase after the personal doctor for adults, as was the case with the SYRIZA law on family doctors. That is why, with the provision in the bill, which is being discussed in the committee and will be introduced at the plenary session of the Parliament, an extension of the SYRIZA law on this issue is given.

RES – OIE