Family healthcare on the way
A bill submitted to a parliamentary committee will hopefully bring an end to a practice that has overcrowded hospital emergency services and caused untold pain and distress for those who really need them. According to Health Ministry sources, 40 percent of patients who turn up at duty hospitals only require primary healthcare – that is, a visit to a local doctor. The bill will allow people to choose a doctor from among those linked to a Primary Healthcare System (within the National Health System) and to use their services upon production of a health card supplied by their social security fund, which initially they will use as a kind of prepaid medical credit card. That is, the patient will not pay for consultations – the doctor will be paid directly by the patient’s own fund.
