Greece’s Health Ministry announced on Thursday that the implementation of penalties to patients who have not registered with the system of Personal Doctor will be postponed until December 1, 2022. Reason for the postponement are the many shortcomings in the system and thus primarily the shortage of registered doctors.
The penalties of increased self-participation of 10% for laboratory tests, screening and hospitalization in private clinics were initially scheduled to be in effect from October 1.
According to an announcement by the Health Ministry, the implementation of the penalties is suspended until December 1. when more medical specialists will have been registered and there will be a sufficient number of doctors to cover the population’s needs.
Note that the Health Ministry has recently allowed that ten more specialists including oncologists, nephrologists, cardiologists and other from the sector of pathology join the system of Private Doctor.
So far, over 4,000,000 citizens have registered in the system, the ministry said.
The announcement has reportedly also pointed out that in areas where most of the positions of personal doctors have been filled, such as in Attica, the citizens can wait until the signing of the new contracts with doctors, which will ensure the adequacy of doctors in the system and their easier selection by the citizens
This seems currently a wishful thinking, though, as in some areas in Athens like the northern surbubs Personal Doctors are rather a rarity.
Medical news website healthreport.gr reports that very few private doctors have registered as personal doctors with some citizens to seek solutions in other regional units.
Citing the latest EOPYY data available, the website reports that there are currently 522 registered personal doctors, of which 293 were family doctors with the older SYRIZA system and changed their contracts to the new system.
It is noteworthy that the upper limit of 2000 patients has been accepted by only 310 doctors out of 522 doctors, while the rest will register fewer citizens/patients.
That’s is why citizens do not find any PD available, not even in the public health facilities, notes healthreport.gr.
It is indicative that in the northern suburbs of Attica densely populated areas do not have any personal doctor available, with the result that citizens register wherever they can, even in other Prefectures of the country.
The website publishes examples of non-availability of private and public facilities doctors in Agia Paraskevu, Halandri and Marousi, wondering at the same time whether the addition of ten more medical specialists categories will increase the number of private Personal Doctors.
Also local media report that there is a shortage of available personal doctors for example on the Cyclades islands.
More on Personal Doctor system in Greece, including penalties and the newly added medical specialists here on KTG.
Do not forget to participate in our POLL on the issue:
Loading ...PS Chaos, confusion and anger is what you get as a ministry and a government when you launch a new system for the crucial health sector but you have neither worked out all details nor assured that it will roll smoothly.
As I do not have Amka, I have no idea how this affects me, it is so confusing, does it mean that if I need a doctor I can no longer go to our hospital to see one, using the UK Global Health Insurance Card ?
The poll is missing an option for “no and I won’t”
sure.
Oh, here we go again. Another bright idea from some seat shining bureaucrat who wants to change everything for no reason other than self aggrandisement and pushed by the threat of more fines!!! Fined for this that and another should be the middle name for Greece!!
I have been told that in my area of Crete I have to register with a Doctor way out of my area, that’s very useful: isn’t it, means that our local Doctors are not in this new idiotic system, (wonder why?)
This government should be lined up and have black cone shaped hats put on their heads!
as KTG had pointed out in an earlier article about this nonsense, it was one of the (many) demands of one of the ‘mnhmonia’ , the so-called bailout agreements (the only ones bailed out were the big banks though!).. ever read ‘confessions of an economic hit-man’ ?
thats exactly whats being done here (and in many other countries too!)