The second phase of the reform of the personal doctor is going on.

Within the last three months, nearly 2,000 additional personal doctors have been added to the system, uploading all of the personal doctors available to 5.496. Have been registered to date, over 5 million citizens.

Also to date, about 250 have joined pediatrician and provide free access to a personal pediatrician to 350,000 children.

Each pediatrician can record up to 1,500 children, with a monthly remuneration of approximately 4,000 euros.

“We will soon cover the total population of 500,000 children we have as an initial goal,” Deputy Minister of Health Irene Agapidakis said in an interview with RES-EIA.

As of June 1, citizens who have not enrolled in a personal doctor will automatically register on the system Based on home details stated in AMKA.

The assignment will be made with a personal physician in the municipality of residential or in a neighboring municipality, to ensure universal coverage of the population and further enhance primary health care.

‘In any case, Citizens have the ability to choose the personal doctor that they want, without any burden. If a citizen does not want a free personal physician, he or she will be able to declare a private physician or general physician of his choice. And, of course, citizens retain the right to change the doctor: Once in 12 months, or twice within 12 months if they change the region, “says Ms Agapidakis.

“The system is dynamic and covers more and more people every day in more parts of our country. We still have a road, but the results are very encouraging, ”he says.

Improving Primary Health Care

He notes that improving primary health care is a priority for the government and refers to the interventions in detail. Among them are integrated from early March of certain Health Centers in the hospital on -call program.

According to the first results, the program delivers, as in just three weeks, four health centers served more than 10,000 incidents.

Projects are currently underway in more than 156 Health Centers and Hospitals across the country, with the first renovated infrastructure surrendered immediately.

Scientific and financial incentives to young doctors

“Our country is facing a serious timeless problem. While we have a high percentage of doctors in total, only 6% of them – in total, in the public and private sectors – are general doctors or physicians. To understand the size of the problem, the average in the European Union is 20%, and in countries such as Portugal that have achieved excellent results in primary health care, the rate is 40%. So, we have a long way to go ahead, ”says Ms. Agapidakis.

“This is why we today give strong scientific and economic incentives to young doctors to follow the specialty of General Medicine or Pathology. For the first time we give One -time financial incentive of 40,000 euros to new doctors who will choose to be trained in the specialties of General/Family Medicine and Pathology.

We want to draw a stable career path for those who choose to serve in Primary Health Care. Thus, we give strong incentives to strengthen the specialties of General/Family Medicine and Pathology and seek to have an increased number of physicians in the health system for the next 10 years. We are working for today, but also the tomorrow of our country, ”he says.