NEWS

EOPYY chief admits budget difficulties

The head of the National Organization for Healthcare Provision (EOPYY), Gerasimos Voudouris, acknowledged on Thursday that the country?s main healthcare provider is experiencing great difficulties with regard to meeting its budgetary requirements for the current year.

Speaking on SKAI television, Voudouris noted that out of the 4.5 billion euros required this year, the organization had so far managed to come up with 500 million euros.

Voudouris noted that EOPYY?s budget depended on social security payments which had been heavily hit by the ongoing crisis, especially in sectors such as construction.

He also spoke about problems in the supply of certain medicines given that a number of pharmaceutical companies were demanding prepayment for certain imported medication.

On the subject of patients in need of immediate medicine supply, Voudouris noted that the organization has a special agreement with hospitals for the provision of medicines based on a specific budget list.

The EOPYY head also suggested that the country?s next elected government should allow the financially strapped organization to take out a loan of half-a-billion euros which would cover for its expenses and be given in installments.

Meanwhile, pharmacists agreed on Wednesday to continue their protests at not being paid by EOPYY, while patients are obliged to pay for mediciness and then claim back the sum from their social security fund.

As of Wednesday, EOPYY had paid about 70 percent of what it owed to pharmacie(medicines provided in March to people insured with EOPYY), while the government has pledged to settle all debts for prescribed drugs in March and April by June 15.

Pharmacists, however, are also claiming another 250 million euros for medicines provided to customers on credit last year, at a time when a number of social security funds had not yet been merged with EOPYY.

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