Health sector reform
The reforms in the health sector that were voted through Parliament this week should be welcomed by any principled observer. It is crucial for the government, any government, to be able to guarantee a safety net for every member of the IKA social security foundation in primary healthcare. This is something that the existing system could not do.
Sure, the reforms introduced by the PASOK administration imply that some doctors will have to give up their clientele. But any serious reform involves people, usually a small minority, giving up their perks and privileges.
Hopefully the impending changes in the health sector will be implemented with carefully designed presidential decrees. If the past is any guide, there is the risk that much of the legislation will not be enforced.
Andreas Loverdos, the socialist health minister, has taken the courageous decision to break some eggs. Now it?s time to start a dialogue with the doctors so that the suffering of thousands of insured people, hit by the recent strikes, will come to an end.
