Newsroom
The registration period for medical doctors wishing to join the GESY national network of physicians began on Monday, amid controversy and hesitation expressed by the Cyprus Medical Association.
The rosters opened up Monday morning for doctors who wish to sign up in the network. The registration will take place online for family doctors and primary care physicians, who will serve as gatekeepers in the newly designed national healthcare plan.
CMA vice president Marios Karaiskakis told RIK state radio that the the association was calling on its members not to sign up but stopped short of requiring that his colleagues stayed away.
The registration will take place online for family doctors and primary care physicians, who will serve as gatekeepers in the new national healthcare plan
“For God’s sake. We are not dictators, we are democrats,” he said.
In the past few weeks, several private hospitals and private practitioners said they were not joining the GESY healthcare system, the first National Health Scheme (NHS) in Cyprus due to be launched gradually starting June of this year.
CMA insists on doctors maintaining the right to private practice as well as taking part in GESY, a position that has been rejected both by the government and the Health Insurance Organization (HIO).
A number of doctors and clinics eventually did say they would join GESY, with media reports saying the HIO remained optimistic that significant numbers were expected to sign up.
The debate over joining GESY between private doctors and the government is still ongoing. The sign up period has been dubbed as a “crash test” for health reform in Cyprus.
A number of training seminars was offered in recent weeks, with several private doctors showing up to get the latest information.
