“We are not going to leave the COMY workers on the street” said Deputy Minister of Health Irini Agapidaki, supporting the amendment submitted to the bill of the Ministry of Environment and Energy and regarding the extension of the validity of the fixed-term employment contracts of the staff of the Special Purpose Mobile Health Teams of EODY until April 31, 2024.

Mrs. Agapidaki stated that it is about the extension of the validity of the fixed-term employment contracts of the mobile health teams of the EODY.

He noted that there are still “needs related to COVID and influenza, such as vaccination of the elderly, provision of testing services, vaccinations in aged care facilities and a range of community protection issues».

The deputy minister pointed out that the extension of these contracts “cannot be dealt with by the issuance of a Presidential Decree, Ministerial Decision or other regulatory act” and requires legislation.

Mrs. Agapidaki added that in the proposed regulation there is a provision that the said extension of the duration of the contracts does not change the nature of the employment relationship, on the basis of which the employees were hired in these positions, nor do they fall under the restrictions of articles 5 and 6 of PD164 /2004.

Responding to questions raised by the parliamentary representatives of SYRIZA and PASOK, the deputy minister said that “we are in continuous cooperation with the union KOMY of EODY.

There are more than a thousand people of different categories and formal qualifications, who work in COMY and we are examining together with the relevant ministries and, of course, the Minister of Health how they can be absorbed into the NHS. You realize that, for example, it is easier for nurses.

For drivers there is another possibility. There are many administrators. Some of them have degrees, for example they are biologists. They could, indeed, be utilized at the laboratory level, in the actions they are going to do and in the permanent services that will be developed in the next period, also utilizing funds from the Recovery Fund in the part that has to do with the management of public health threats”.

Mrs. Agapidaki stated that it is difficult to have a horizontal model that will cover all these workers, but “we are not going to leave them on the street. That is why we have now started a close cooperation with them. And I say again, we are in relevant discussion with the co-competent ministries, in order to have a result at the level of proposed regulations, which can cover every category”.