The 2023 budget foresees 3.884 billion euros, the health minister said, asking SYRIZA MPs if they think it is too little
“Government interventions ensure the presence of doctors in the NHS. And the presence of doctors in the NHS also ensures its public character”, underlined the Minister of Health, Thanos Pleuris, during the discussion of the 2023 Budget in the Parliament. “When you try to increase doctors’ salaries, and at the same time have other opportunities, then you ensure that the public health system will remain strong,” said the minister and added: “The government intervenes in a holistic way, that is, it promotes prevention , strengthens primary care with a focus on the personal doctor, restructures the EOPYY, restructures the NHS and supports it with resources and people, supports outpatient care with home benefits and prepares health for the coming years”.
Mr. Pleuris chose to open his speech by addressing a question to the chairs of SYRIZA:
“The budget debate has an edge. We are talking with facts and not theories: do you think 3.884 billion euros for health is a small amount? Indeed it is a small amount. It is the 2019 budget, signed by Mr. Tsakalotos, the last year of the SYRIZA government. The budget we bring you today for health is 5.202 billion. In other words, we are giving 1.400 billion euros more for health today, in the last Budget before the elections. Health support is through actions. I could have ended my speech here. After you passed the health budget in 2019 with 3.8 billion, why won’t you pass the health budget with 5.2 billion? So simply ends the conversation about who supports the public health system, who does not,” said the Minister of Health.
Mr. Pleuris also mentioned that the Mitsotakis government, in 2023, will actually have another budget for health, because the remaining amount of the Recovery Fund, which is implemented until the end of 2025, has not been included.
The minister also stated that:
– The main objective is to transfer resources, from treatment to how to keep the citizen healthy. Thus, within the framework of the “Doxiadis” program, 254 million euros will be allocated for preventive examinations (breast cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer, cardiovascular diseases, childhood obesity).
– 157 Health Centers have joined the Recovery Fund program and will be upgraded logistically and structurally with 272 million.
– In the context of the personal doctor, in the first quarter of its operation, it has registered 4.7 million citizens and 3,400 doctors. In November, 1,050,000 free appointments were made.
– EOPYY is being restructured, with more benefits for citizens and with an effort to support providers as much as possible.
– In 2022, resources amounting to 57 million euros were transferred to the field of clinical-laboratory tests. Today a further aid of 15 million was decided, in order to rationalize the clow back.
– From the Recovery Fund, 380 million euros are given for 80 hospitals, which are being reconstructed, but also for other units in need.
– The 2023 Budget has included an increase in the salaries of NHS doctors, for the first time after 15 years. The average increase is 10%.
– A 400 euro allowance is provided for anesthetists and those working in the TEP.
– An increase of up to 690 euros is foreseen in the allowance of those who are doctors in the ICU and 250 euros for those who are doctors in the emergency room.
– Primary care doctors, in public structures, are given 800 euros per month, without having to work more, to have the role of personal doctor.
– 278 million will be allocated for the digital transformation and the digital image of the hospitals will be completely changed, with an electronic file, with the interconnection of the hospitals, with the digitization of their files.
– The government has made it clear that with the new health map, no structures will be closed. “The structures will be strengthened. The reconstruction of the structures, however, will be done under conditions that will ensure better services provided to the citizens. For better services provided, you find what needs a local community has and ensure structures that will satisfy those needs,” said the Minister of Health.
In relation to pharmaceutical policy, the Minister of Health called on the opposition to stand up for the fact that the negotiating committee is taking 450 million rebates from the pharmaceutical industry. “No treatment leaves the country, all the new treatments came in and they gave us a discount of 450 million. This happened because the closed budget that SYRIZA voted against was implemented”, said Thanos Pleuris and added that this is money that “EOPYY earns in its budget”. Referring to the lawsuit brought by the Greek State against Novartis, he expressed his question about the fact that, while it has been known since August, SYRIZA has not stated its position on whether it is good or bad.
On drug shortages: “Huge and Europe-wide demand for pediatric flu drugs”
PASOK’s parliamentary representative Nadia Giannakopoulou referred to the shortages observed in medicines. “There is a huge problem. Citizens do not find medicines for diabetes, for very serious diseases. We can’t find good – good DEPON for our children. You promised to extend the ban on parallel exports, that only with an electronic prescription they will leave the warehouses, that you will do strict controls. If all this has happened, then why has the problem become worse than it was last month?”, said Mrs. Giannakopoulou.
“On elliptical drugs we are imposing the biggest ban that has ever been made, a ban with no time limit” replied the Minister of Health. “We asked the pharmaceutical warehouses to give us all their stocks, to be available on the Greek market. “Five huge pharmaceutical companies are being checked, which by law must have a three-month supply,” he said. In relation to pediatric medicines, the Minister of Health said that during the pandemic, due to the measures, the flu had not appeared. “Right now, the whole of Europe is boiling with the flu. So there is a huge demand, overall, pan-European. The companies are responding, but there is indeed a problem in the supply chain when these drugs are imported. We reassure parents, however, that these drugs are not elliptical. However, due to the demand there are delays, because the problem is a European one”.
The Minister of Health informed the Parliament that the Ministry is making continuous orders in view of the flu outbreak expected in January.
“Profit is to blame for drug shortages”, said the KKE parliamentary representative Nikos Karathanasopoulos and added: “This is why the pharmaceutical industry needs to be socialized in order to protect public health. Drug shortages are due to exports, for profit.”
RES-EMP
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