Cabinet green-lights primary care changes
A draft bill by the Ministry of Health aiming to decongest hospitals by unifying the dispersed public primary care facilities and boosting the role of the personal physician was given the green light during a cabinet meeting last week.
The bill, presented by Health Minister Thanos Plevris at the meeting, states that every citizen will have a personal doctor, who will monitor and if necessary refer that patient for medical and diagnostic treatments or hospitalization.
Public primary healthcare facilities will be supported by private ones when gaps are observed. At the same time, doctors who have contracts with Greece’s main healthcare provider, EOPYY, will be paid per patient and not per visit, as is done today. The changes in the organization of the primary healthcare facilities will be accompanied by a program to upgrade buildings and medical infrastructure at public hospitals.
According to Plevris, more than 220 million euros has been earmarked by the EU recovery fund for this purpose.
