The 24-hour strike declared by the union of state doctors (Pasyki) for Thursday is unnecessary as the issue for which the strike is called, regarding the insurance coverage of doctors, does not exist, stated Haralambos Harilaou, Spokesperson for the Health Services Organisation (Okypi).
The 24-hour strike is scheduled to commence at 7:30 am on Thursday and conclude at 7:30 am on Friday.
“We consider strike actions unnecessary and not in the best interest of patients,” noted Harilaou.
He highlighted that an extension of insurance coverage for professional negligence liability has been secured for all Okypy personnel, including seconded, transferred, and contracted doctors until the end of the current year.
Furthermore, he added, there has been an extension of the handling process for cases concerning professional negligence by public servants seconded to Okypyi.
Simultaneously, he emphasised that the organisation is taking all necessary actions to ensure coverage by an insurance company for all doctors working closely with Okypi.
When asked about potential disruptions in public hospitals, Harilaou stated, “Only Pasyki is on strike; Pasydy is not participating. Therefore, a number of doctors will be available in departments and clinics where Pasyki doctors are present to meet the needs of urgent cases. No patient will be left without proper assistance.”
Regarding informing patients about appointment cancellations, he mentioned that it is the responsibility of each hospital to take all necessary measures in this regard.
In response to Okypy, Pasyki President Sotiris Koumas expressed his disappointment over the position of the authorities, who as he said are not moving to resolve the issues.
“We did not expect a different approach from Okypy. It is their standard response to disregard the daily realities faced by public hospitals,” he said.
“We have exhausted all options to resolve this through negotiations, and it is disheartening and surprising that we have not received any response or engagement from anyone to resolve the matter,” he added.
Koumas further explained the demands of health professionals, saying, “According to the law, every government employee, including government doctors and public physicians, is protected by the state as their employer, as stated in the Constitution and relevant legislation regarding negligence in the performance of their duties.”
“This system was in place before the establishment of Okypy. Two days before the launch of Gesy, as a response to our demands, we received a letter from the former Minister of Health, confirming that the state remains the employer for both permanent and fixed-term contract colleagues. Subsequently, a third category of doctors was created—those with contracts with Okypy. The Gesy law stipulates that each provider must submit an insurance document,” he explained.
However, for the past four years, Okypy has failed to fulfil this requirement, he said. “Permanent and fixed-term contract doctors are covered through a guarantee provided by the Ministry of Health, as they should. For about a year now, this issue has arisen. The Law Office of the Republic has issued a statement specifying that coverage will only be provided to permanent doctors for a limited period. This means that a right we brought with us upon our transfer to Okypy is being taken away,” he added.