Ready are the march sheets for the recruitment of private doctors, to assist the ESY to address the pandemic. The roadmaps will be sent to 206 doctors under 60 years of age who are contracted with EOPYY, the specialties of Pathologists, Pulmonologists and General Practitioners in Attica, which are ordered for one month.
In non paper, the Ministry of Health answers 16 questions concerning the appointment of doctors. According to this, the criteria for the order of appointment are announced, and clarification is given as to why this solution was chosen.
- Why have we come to the commission?;
For the past month we have made repeated appeals to private sector physicians to contribute to the great national effort.
Especially for the Attica, the appeal took place institutionally together with the President of the Medical Association of Athens and Regional Governor of Attica George Patoulis, on 10 March at a joint press conference with Minister of Health, Vassilis Kikilias. The decision is part of the Emergency Plan of the Ministry of Health and unfortunately became necessary due to the small number of private doctors who have declared that they voluntarily assist the national effort to support the hospitals of the National Health Service and the protection of Public Health.
- What does «commissioning of medical services» mean?;
It means the compulsory membership of private doctors in the NHS for a certain period of time, in order to assist the public structures.
- What incentives have been given to doctors who are not permanent doctors of the NHS?;
The Ministry of Health has taken a number of legislative initiatives to provide incentives and facilities to doctors to join and strengthen the H.S.Y.
Doctors who had applied for residency by 15/12/2020 were able to immediately join the hospitals of their choice and be employed for 4 months, i.e. until the normal order of appointment, that period shall be counted as time spent in the specialty.
Also, were exempted from performing outdoor service (rural), doctors who have been enrolled in the first year of medical schools in Greece and abroad up to the academic year 2005-2006, so that a large number of doctors can immediately acquire the right to take the specialty examinations and participate in the calls for permanent positions for doctors of the National Health Service.
In addition, physicians who have obtained or will be practicing for the qualification of the specialty of Anesthesiology and for physicians who will take examinations until December 31, 2021 for the specialty of Pulmonology/Physiology have been exempted from the obligation to perform field service (rural).
- Financial incentives or the possibility of permanent appointment to the N.S.Y..;
Of course. They were given the opportunity to cooperate by issuing a service voucher, with a tax-free monthly salary of two thousand (2,000) euros. In addition to this, there is also provision for remuneration for their participation in on-call duties - if they participate - equal to that of the B supervisor.
In the event of participation of these doctors in a selection procedure for the filling of posts of doctors of the National Health Service, the months of service provided are graded in accordance with the rules applicable to auxiliary doctors of public hospitals.
In addition, the possibility of permanent appointment was given to doctors with specialties in Pulmonology-Physiology, Cardiology, Cardiology, Anaesthesiology, Paediatrics, Paediatric Surgery, Surgery, Internal Medicine and Nephrology, who served in 2020 as auxiliary medical staff at the M.After their application, they will be appointed, with the rank of attending physician B, to organic positions of physicians of the adult and paediatric ICUs and NICUs (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit).
Also, these doctors have been exempted from field service (rural).
- Have you arranged for the payment of on-call duties?;
Over the last 1.5 years we have enacted provisions to ensure the timely and full payment of the on-call duties of the Doctors of Public Hospitals and Health Centres:
1. We increased the percentage of additional on-call time from 9% to 15%, for a period of 7 months (from 1-3-2020 to 30-6-2020, and from 1-10-2020 to 31-12-2020), in order to avoid any cuts in on-call time. We are proceeding with the adoption of a new EIA to increase the rate after 1 January 2021.
2. For the few cases where the percentage of additional on-call time exceeds 15%, we legalized the overrun of on-call time, so that no doctor loses a single euro. The last legalisation took place at the end of December and there will be a new extension.
3. In the vast majority of hospitals, January 2021 has been paid for and followed by the settlement and payment of the following months.
- Have you invited the retired doctors to assist?;
Of course we invited them. Specifically, retired doctors of the necessary specialties (pathologists, anaesthesiologists, cardiologists, pulmonologists and general practitioners) and be assigned tasks for a certain period of time to combat a public health emergency.
In fact, retired doctors who exclusively provide their services in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are exempt from the 30% reduction of their main and supplementary pensions.
- How many people are covered, what are the criteria and for how long?;
It concerns 206 doctors, based on the following criteria be under 60 years old and be contracted with EOPYY in the specialties of Pulmonology, Pathology and General Medicine in the Region of Attica. The duration of the order is for a period of one month. They will be called upon to take up duties at the grade of assistant superintendent B in hospitals of the 1st and 2nd HACCP.
- Will they be entitled to a fee? What is the fee and what are the incentives?;
Yes. They will be entitled to remuneration commensurate with their duties, which will be determined by legislation.
- How many pulmonologists/pathologists and general practitioners are there in total in Attica?;
There are 2,140 private doctors in these specialties in Athens: 1,331 internists, 469 pulmonologists and 340 general practitioners.
In Piraeus, the number of doctors of the relevant specialties is 370.
- Do the private doctors who will strengthen the NHS hospitals have civil liability?;
No. All private doctors who join the NHS are legally covered by the current provisions for NHS doctors, have no individual civil liability towards a third party (the patient or his/her relatives), as the Medical Association of Athens has given its opinion on the matter.
- Do the private doctors, who will strengthen the NHS hospitals, have the possibility to keep their private practices?;
Yes. Have the possibility to maintain their own private practices, beyond the hours of duty in the hospitals of the National Health Service.
- How is the situation today in the NSS?;
The National Health System in Greece, and especially in Attica, has been under the greatest pressure since the beginning of the pandemic and the health personnel have been stretched to their limits. Nevertheless, the system is standing upright and continues to care for our fellow citizens in need.
The pressure is enormous, it's daily and the spread of the disease follows the worst-case scenario from what we had processed. Every day we have 500 admissions with Covid across the country, of which more than 200 in Attica hospitals - is like filling a regional hospital in one on-call shift.
- How has this emergency been dealt with?;
We have developed and are implementing the Emergency Plan for Attica. The country is a Health Region. The Health System is one and it is national: NHS hospitals, military hospitals, private clinics, new multi-purpose ICUs. We have already delivered, mainly to hospitals in Attica, 900 high flow oxygen therapy respirators, and when necessary, we will make evacuations or air ambulances to the Region with the care of the ambulance service.
- How have the hospitals been strengthened?;
In the midst of the pandemic we have recruited as auxiliary staff more than 10,000 health workers, of which 4 000 will be made permanent through ASEP. In the last year and a half, more than 1,200 additional recruitments of permanent doctors have been made.
- They have strengthened the Covid beds in Attica?;
The number of ICU-Covid beds in Attica is currently 389, up from 229 a month ago. That is, we have increased them by 70%.
Covid single beds are now 3,000 up from 1,600 a month ago. That is, we have increased them by 88%.
- Why were doctors with the necessary specialties (pulmonologists/pathologists) not recruited from the lists of auxiliary doctors in the Health Regions?;
Because they don't exist. According to the lists of the Governors of the Regional Health Authorities, at the moment there is only one Pathologist on the lists of auxiliaries in the 4th Health Region of Macedonia-Thrace.
Β. Kikilias: Commissioning of personal services of doctors
The Ministry of Health is making a requisition of personal services of doctors, according to a statement by Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias.
«The Ministry of Health has for weeks issued an appeal to private doctors to support the hospitals of the National Health Service in the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, a very small number of private doctors came forward. We thank them. Considering the extraordinary circumstances and the urgent need to care for our fellow human beings, the Ministry of Health is making a requisition for the personal services of doctors specialising in pathologists, pulmonologists and general practitioners in Attica».», Mr Kikilias said in his statement.
