Doctors and service providers of the General Health System (GeSY) receive verbal attacks from patients who are not sufficiently informed about their rights and obligations, it was reported to the Parliamentary Health Committee, according to its President Efthymios Diplaros.
The issue of the need to inform citizens about the correct use of the services offered by the NHS was discussed after Mr. Diplaros registered for an ex officio examination.
In his statements after the Commission session, Mr. Diplaros said that it has been established that in too many cases the service providers of the NHS, in their attempt to avoid an unjustified - in their opinion - demand of their patients, either blame the OAU, they either say that the National Health Service won't let them.
Doctors are attacked by patients who do not know their rights and obligations, Mr. Diplaros pointed out, underlining that the problems created due to the lack of information are the waiting lists at specialist doctors' offices, visiting 2 doctors within 1 -2 hours, thus covering an appointment that a patient has, as well as the attacks doctors receive from patients, who feel they can demand more than they are entitled to because they are not properly informed.
The President of the Health Committee also spoke of "abuses and distortions that can and must be corrected after 5 years of implementation of the NHS".
Responding to a question, he expressed confidence that the patient advocate bill would correct several distortions, adding that he was informed by the Ministry of Health that the consultation on the said bill is at an advanced stage. "We await the conclusion of the consultation," he continued.
It has been established that in contracted hospitals there is a special group to examine patient complaints, said Mr. Diplaros, adding that OKYpY is launching the creation of patient service offices in all public hospitals. "We want timetables for the implementation of this decision on the part of OKYpY", he emphasized.
"Today we released a significant amount of more than €1 million for an information campaign of the OAU", said Efthymios Diplaros, while indicating that patients urgently need to be informed and acquire a specific culture.
He also spoke of verbal attacks and threats by patients against doctors, citing some cases recorded by OSAK and doctors. "Some are forcing doctors to do the tests they want to do. This cannot be tolerated and cannot continue," he noted.
Source: KYPE