Its operation is implemented from today, Thursday, February 1st Single Digital List of Surgeriesaccording to the Joint Ministerial Decision signed by the Minister of Health, Adonis Georgiadis, the Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou, the Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance, Thanos Petralias and the Deputy Minister of Health, Marios Themistokleous, with the aim of reducing the waiting time of patients.

The Single Digital List of Surgeries is compiled through the electronic platform that operates at IDIKA and constitutes the digital filing system, where the Queue of surgeries to be performed in hospitals. The list is updated with the necessary elements of the clinical assessment of each citizen judged by the treating physician-surgeon that requires surgery and interoperates with every necessary information system and structured data system, such as the National Patient Registries and the Individual Electronic Health File.

In detail, each hospital which is responsible for the establishment and operation of the Unified List of Surgeries proceeds to clearing the list which he adheres to, after confirming that any patient already on the existing surgery list wishes to remain on it. For the final confirmation of the patients’ stay or deletion from the list, a telephone call is made. Patients who do not wish to remain on that list are removed from it in order for the lists to be cleared.

The deputy commander is designated as the person in charge of supervision and control of the Unified List of Surgeries and where the commander is not present, while the director of the Medical Service is responsible for its preparation and operation. In addition, each attending surgeon enters into the digital platform of the Single List of Surgery all the necessary data to create the patient record. After the clinical assessment of the condition of each of his patients, he assesses the severity of the disease and classifies the case based on specific categorization and criteria, where the estimated waiting time until the operation is performed is determined.

Each case is categorized based on the progression of the disease.

Specifically, there are five categories:

  • For incidents they have fast development and the delay affects the result, the estimated waiting time until the operation is performed is 2 weeks.
  • For incidents with potentially rapid development and the delay can affect the result, the estimated waiting time until the operation is performed is 3 to 6 weeks.
  • For incidents with severe symptoms or dysfunctionwithout rapid progression, the estimated waiting time until the operation is performed is 7 to 12 weeks.
  • For incidents with mild/moderate symptoms or dysfunction;without rapid progression, the estimated waiting time until the operation is performed is 13 to 24 weeks.
  • For incidents without symptoms or dysfunction, without rapid progression, the estimated waiting time until the operation is performed is 25 weeks or more.

In case of a change in the patient’s health condition and the operation is performed at a different time, the doctor must inform the system.

The patient is informed by the hospital of the scheduled date of his surgeryinformation that he also receives from IDIKA by email or through the MyHealthApp application.

The responsibility for the correct observance of the entries of the Unified List of Surgeries and the schedule of surgeries is borne by the Surgery Committee, which operates in the NHS hospitals and digitally approves the weekly Schedule of Surgeries. The Committee’s task is, among other things, to coordinate and ensure the orderly operation of the operating theater and to submit proposals for its improvement.

“Progressing vigorously with the reforms that will improve the Public Health system, we are launching from today the Unified List of Surgeries with the aim of reducing the waiting time of patients,” said the Minister of Health, Adonis Georgiades.

Mr. Georgiadis added that the Single List of Surgeries is one major reform in the health sector, which, in addition to ensuring the reduction of waiting time, will monitor the clinical characteristics of patients and facilitate the work of NHS doctors, dealing with delays and system pathologies at the expense of patients. “We will continue in the next period, at an unabated pace, the targeted actions aimed at changing the image of public health in our country for the better”, he stressed.

For his part, the Deputy Minister of Health, Marios Themistocleoussaid: “Through methodical and persistence, as well as utilizing all available tools, we have successfully completed clearing and updating the list in all hospitals of the country, so as to create the Unified List of Surgeries and with the ultimate goal of reducing the patient waiting time. The process of adding patients to the list will be done exclusively through the hospital’s digital platform, seeking the simplification, transparency and acceleration of procedures. From today it will not be possible to enter patients on the surgery list via paper. We continue with dedication and determination our work to ensure that every citizen has access to high-quality health services, whenever and wherever they need them.”

It is emphasized that with the Single Digital List of Surgeries, hospitals will be able to draw up and better organize their surgery program based on real needs. At the same time, the Ministry of Health will gain the ability to make strategic decisions by monitoring the status of the list of surgeries in real time.