New plan to be sent to private hospitals
The Health Insurance Organisation (HIO) will send a revised health care provider agreement to private hospitals on Friday, after they refused to renew their contract over payment terms.
A crisis within the national health scheme (Gesy) resulting from the exit of the 70 private hospitals will be averted if an agreement is reached within the month.
The organisation’s board of directors approved the new proposal during a meeting on Thursday evening, saying it comes closer to the positions of the private hospitals and creates conditions for reaching an agreement.
The move comes after the Employers and Industrialists Federation (Oev), as well as its member Pasin representing private health care providers, refused to sign a new contract with the agency that runs Gesy. They said no mention was made in their contract about compensation while discussions about their remuneration for inpatient cases in hospitals, based on quality criteria, has not been completed.
According to the HIO, the current contract will expire on August 31. Hence, they gave hospitals from August 7 to August 31 to sign on to a new contract, which would take effect on September 1.
Some 70 private hospitals are currently contracted with the HIO and participating in the national health system. Most are members of Pasin.
The trade union and Oev have called for state intervention and equal treatment of private and public hospitals, warning that this could leave Gesy in limbo.
President Nikos Christodoulides will on Friday hold separate meeting with state health services Okypy and the HIO.