1. What changes does the personal doctor bring?
The lack personal physician today is the cause of mass attendance at hospitals which impede the smooth operation of the system and afflict patients. Four out of ten people on duty at hospitals have a problem that could be treated by PHC doctors.
The personal physician is the support of the citizens in health issues. The citizen will turn to him when he has a health problem. He will be consulted. From him he will get instructions, direction, referral for the next move in the Health System.
From prevention, updating his medical record, visiting for an examination, prescribing the necessary medications, referring for examinations for specialist doctors or for treatment when there is a need.
The personal physician provides comprehensive and continuous care to the individual in order to prevent disease and promote health.
2. What must the citizen do to have a personal doctor?
The citizen freely chooses from the doctors who will participate as personal physicians in the area where he resides. They can be doctors of Health Centers, of TOMY, contracted doctors with EOPYY or private doctors. Also, if he is in an area where there are no doctors, he will be able to choose a doctor from another area and consult him with the means of modern technology.
3. Will the GP be free?
The services of the personal doctor will be provided free of charge for the citizens who have been registered in the list of the personal doctor of their choice. They will make visits, prescribe their medicines and get directions without paying.
4. Who can be personal physicians?
The personal physician can be a) the physician of the National Health System (NSS), who serves and provides his services in the Health Centers, in To.M.Y. and in other public units of P.F.Y., with a registered population, b) the doctor who provides his services in the context of the operation of the Local Health Teams of article 106 of law 4461/2017 (AD38), with a registered population (family doctors) c) the doctor contracted with the National Organization for the Provision of Health Services (EOPYY) with a registered population, but also private doctors.
Personal physicians are defined as physicians specializing in general / family medicine or internal pathology for the adult population.
Physicians of other specialties for the adult population may also be appointed as personal physicians, especially when the specialty is associated with follow-up of citizens suffering from chronic diseases and pediatricians for the pediatric population. In this case, these doctors may also be private doctors.
5. What will the personal doctor offer to the citizen?
The personal physician will offer his services within the public units of P.F.Y. of the Local Networks of P.F.Y., of the private clinics and at home. The services it will offer are:
a) management of chronic diseases and coordination and liaison with other specialist physicians as well as with Referral Hospitals.
b) support, orientation and responsible guidance of patients within the health system.
c) implementation of preventive and screening programs, as well as the implementation and monitoring of vaccination programs.
(d) refer patients to other specialists and other levels of care, as well as to diagnostic tests, including preventive and screening tests.
e) creation and maintenance of the individual electronic health file for each citizen who is registered in the list of the personal physician, ensuring the continuity and coordination of care.
The personal doctor does not prevent the citizen from going directly to specialist doctors and the specialist doctors can also refer the citizen to the Hospitals, as well as the personal doctor
6. What does it mean for the citizen that Primary health care services will be provided by individuals?
For many years, PHC services have suffered from dramatic staff shortages. This practically means that a large part of the population pays for basic health services such as doctor visits. With the bill, the system of PHC includes in its potential both private doctors and private providers with transparent contracts so that all citizens have access to doctors and services. Thus, the public structures of PFY can cooperate with private providers of PFY, Polyclinics and private doctors to ensure the services provided by PFY. In addition, the possibility of cooperation of public units of PFY is given. and with the structures of local self-government
7. Will it be easier for the citizen to find a doctor in the Region?
Our decision to unite the health forces of the country, state and private, in a larger and truly National health system is made mainly to cover the large shortage of doctors and services that plagues the Greek region. Our constant pursuit is for all citizens of the Greek Region to have access to a doctor. The bill covers the gaps of the NSS with additional recruitments and contracts with private doctors. Those doctors who contract with EOPYY also provide services to the NSS, when required. In this way, the gaps of the NSS are reduced, the number of doctors is increased and the access of the citizen to the health structures is improved.
8. Will there be recruitments in areas where there are gaps and shortages in the NSS?
Of course. Already for 2022, 4,000 recruitments of nurses, 910 other staff and 700 doctors have already been announced, while the announcements for the positions of TOMY are pending. Where vacancies have become fruitless or the expression of interest of private doctors in filling vacancies has been fruitless, the vacancies will be filled by private doctors. Private doctors, but also private providers can contribute with structures of the National Health System (ESY) to meet its needs. Private doctors who are employed in any employment relationship in Health Units that are contracted with the National Organization for the Provision of Health Services (EOPYY) or themselves are contracted with the EOPYY ., as in completely exceptional cases, the private doctors who have joined the Electronic Prescribing System of the Electronic Government of Social Security (IDIKA) and prescribe medicines and examinations that are reimbursed by the EOPYY, undertake through the above contracts the obligation to provide health services in areas and specialties where there are identified deficiencies of the National Health Service, if requested. The provision of these services is part-time.
Likewise Private Providers, such as Primary Health Care structures and clinics, which contract with the EOPYY. must provide their services and structures to support the NSS. when there are emergencies.
9. Why should patients choose afternoon surgeries?
With the afternoon surgeries, the patient will have an additional cheaper option than the private clinics, without affecting at all the morning list of the NSS surgeries. The doctor will have additional benefits and the total staff – nurses and administrative staff – while the hospital will have revenue that will use the same returning this money to citizens improving the services provided. In this way we enable the citizen to choose a doctor of the public system. The only ones losing out on afternoon surgeries are the private providers who will see a competitive and strong public system. Afternoon surgeries are wanted by those who want to serve the needs of the citizen and the NSS and not wanted by those who want to serve the needs of private clinics for more profits. At a much lower cost than in the private sector, citizens will use low-cost afternoon surgeries.
This project will be organized in the best way so that the normal operation of the hospitals is not disturbed, there are no waiting lists and only the goal of expanding the citizens’ choices for quality health services is served.
10. What changes in home care?
Establish, develop and organize Home Care (KON) by providing services to citizens in their home services and health care by Intersectoral Departments or by Non-Autonomous Special Units, which are organically and functionally part of the Intersectoral Departments Short – Day Hospital, which operate in the Hospitals of the National Health System (ESY), as well as by public structures for the provision of Primary Health Care services, in accordance with the existing provisions. The doctors and other health professionals who are appointed, by decisions of the relevant Administration of the Health District, to serve or cooperate in the services of K.O.N. provide their services at the home of patients who have joined the services of K.O.N. and for whom the provision of home care services has been approved by the patient’s insurance fund.
At the same time, home dental care is provided, which is provided by the public health structures of the National Health System (ESY) (primary and secondary care) by legal entities under public and private law (N.P.D.D. ., Ν.Π.Ι.Δ.) that provide health services and are not subject to the NSS, by the Legal Entities of Private Law (Ν.Π.Ι.Δ.) of the Local Self-Government Organizations of first and second degree that provide services from the private health units in which dental clinics operate, as well as from the private dental clinics and multi-dental clinics.
This initiative of ours comes to face a major social problem that concerns many citizens who have no reason to be hospitalized but need to receive quality care at home.
11. SYRIZA accuses you of opening the NSS to individuals and the oligopolistic restructuring of the market in favor of big health entrepreneurs. What do you answer?
The timeless obsession of the Left and SYRIZA for a narrowly state-owned NSS, with many shortcomings and bureaucratic entanglements that has condemned the citizens of the region and the island country to dramatic lack of services must end. We will utilize private doctors and private health service structures to strengthen the public sector.
We buy health services from individuals for the citizens. Without ideologies and anxieties. The real supporters of the private health sector are SYRIZA and its ideologies that deprive citizens of services and force them to resort to the private sector by paying out of pocket.
12. Finally, what results do you expect this intervention to have?
We unite the country’s health forces for the benefit of the citizens. We fill the gaps, we offer options for doctors and health services to all citizens.
We strengthen the NSS and give options within the Public Health System competing with the private sector.
Our goal is for all citizens to have their own doctor, for public structures to be upgraded and for the services offered to the citizen to be of high quality.
13. What is changing in EOPYY
EOPYY becomes a genuine insurance company and buyer of health services. Real-time control policies are implemented to better utilize the money of the insured and private providers must meet strict quality criteria
14. How the citizen benefits from this change of EOPYY
The money saved by the real time control is returned to benefits to the insured and the upgrading of the quality of the benefits through the quality indicators ensures better and higher quality services for the insured.
15. Finally, how do you strengthen the NSS?
The government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis has secured from the recovery fund 1.5 billion euros for the NSS. The NSS hospitals for building infrastructure will be strengthened with 350 million, the Health Centers for 250 million, all the structures for digital upgrade for 220 million. At the same time, 270 million are foreseen for preventive examinations and at the same time 6,000 people will be recruited. The personal physician is institutionalized, the structures are upgraded, the cooperation between the public and the private sector is developed and the EOPYY is modernized.
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