European Commissioner of Health Tonio Borg believes that the necessary reforms in the national health system (NHS) in Cyprus will be accomplished in a relatively short time, given the lessons learned from the country`s financial crisis.
Speaking after a meeting with Cypriot Minister of Health Philippos Patsalis, he said “I can say that these reforms will be accomplished over a relatively short period of time, they are necessary and it is a lesson drawn from something which is negative, so from something which is negative we can draw something which is positive.”
Noting that the reforms need time to be explained to those affected, he said that the Cypriot Minister has a very ambitious time frame to introduce these reforms on three phases starting with primary care. The Commission, he assured, will be with Cyprus in all phases.
“I am sure that the Cypriot people are resilient enough, including the politicians, to know how to learn messages from a crisis”, he said.
Pointing out that there is no public health system in Europe which is sustainable unless it is reformed, Borg added that the reforms being implemented by the Cypriot government would have been necessary with or without the financial crisis, noting that the financial crisis has accelerated the introduction of the reforms.
“We are not yet at the end of the journey but we have proceeded a lot when you look from where we started”, he said, adding that he had no doubt that the Minister and the government will continue pursuing these reforms to ensure an efficient and sustainable health system.
He added that compared with other countries, public expenditure for health in Cyprus is relatively low and the new NHL will put more citizens under health cover.
He sent the message that the Commission wants to offer support and encouragement for Cyprus` health system reform and it was committed to helping Cyprus in every possible way. He assured that even after his term in office ends on December 1st, the Cyprus health reforms would be on the agenda of his successor.
“The Commission is there to help sovereign governments inside the EU, those which have small problems, medium size problems or large problems”, he said.
He pointed out that there are already good measures of technical assistance, that the Commission intended to increase this assistance and added that there are also the EU structural funds made available.
Cypriot Minister of Health said that it was extremely important for Cyprus to get assistance from the EC to introduce good practices of other countries and to complete and achieve the aims of the reforms in the best possible way.
“World Health Organization together with the European Commission play an instrumental role in these national health reforms”, he pointed out, and thanked the Commissioner and the European Commission for assisting Cyprus in its effort.
Patsalis said they discussed several issues of priority for European Union such as the Ebola crisis, immigrants and the joint procurement.
With regard to the Ebola crisis, they discussed the preparation of Cyprus in close collaboration with health security committee and the European Centre for Diseases Prevention and Control, the preparation of an action plan for the prevention, control and management of Ebola, as well as the training of health professionals and the coordination with the other Ministers, the EU and especially the Commission.
They discussed the issues of immigrants and the recent incident in Cyprus with the 350 people, rescued off Cyprus' coast from a sinking boat, as well as the actions that need to be taken for every country and the EU. The Health Minister briefed the Commissioner on all the actions Cyprus has taken and the medical care provided to these people.
They talked about national health reforms, and Cyprus` efforts to introduce major changes in the national health system, including a new NHS. Patsalis described the new system as “catholic, socially fair, far from the current inequalities and financially viable.”
“A system that will address the many inequalities of the current system, which unfortunately have been revealed due to the financial crisis”, he said, adding they discussed the issue of autonomization, reform and restructuring of hospitals, giving them the financial, legal and scientific autonomy to provide better medical services to the people of Cyprus.
The Minister briefed the Commissioner on the effort of his Ministry to introduce electronic health and the attempt to create the electronic file of patients and apply new technologies to the administration, the drugs, the laboratory testing and all medical and paramedical services.
The restructuring of the Ministry of Health was also on the agenda of the discussion as well as the change in the policy of medical products to lower the price of pharmaceuticals.
