State hospital doctors will go ahead with their planned 48-hour strike on Tuesday and Wednesday after a last-ditch meeting with the state health services organisation (Okypy) ended in impasse on Monday afternoon.
The meeting was set up after Health Minister Michalis Damianos, who is currently abroad, called on all those involved to try and avoid the strike, which is scheduled to begin at 07.30 Tuesday morning, affecting doctors across all branches of hospitals, including A&E.
The point of contention lies with financial incentives the doctors want paid out for 2023. A study by an independent audit firm in July put the sum at €2.5 million, while unions seek €4.5m.
As discussed with the House health committee on Thursday, Okypy was expected to put forth alternative scenarios for the conclusion of an agreement concerning financial incentives for doctors from 2025 to 2027.
Charilaou said that while the climate during the meeting was very positive, the unions “insisted on discussing the amount doctors were owed in 2023-24, a matter that cannot be discussed any further”.
He expressed Okypy’s view that “any solution must be holistic” and that an agreement must be reached from 2023 to 2027.
“We cannot discuss this every month, for an entire year, and still not have reached a conclusion,” he said.
Meanwhile trade unions Pasyki and Pasydy proposed a return of the funds concerning 2023-24 – which Pasyki president Sotiris Koumas said was a way “to get out of the dead end”.
According to Koumas, the response they got from the director and vice president of the board of Okypy was that they did not have the authorisation to discuss the specific amount.
He also said that once that was sorted the unions were willing to proceed with the consultation for the next three years as soon as Tuesday.
Reiterating that the strike will be going forward, he said that the aim is to minimise the impact on patients.
“We will do in state hospitals what we do every day,” he added.
Asked if they expect a new move from Okypy, he said that “they themselves will decide if they want to make a new move, but we should not hide behind our finger,” and that “political decisions and will are now necessary”.
Weighing in on the meeting, the president of Pasydy’s doctors’ faction Moisis Lambrou spoke of a “pretend invitation”, expressing sadness as the unions’ joint proposal was a “win-win”.
“It was a mutually beneficial compromise, and the unions also committed to Okypy’s request to start a dialogue on the incentives from 2025-27, just as the minister had asked, in order to avoid similar issues in that time period,” he said.
He added that beyond financial matters, the unions had embraced everything else Okypy and the health minister had requested, and committed to starting a discussion.
“This was to start tomorrow, and instead of the strike we proposed starting a dialogue for 2025-27, which would be of key importance as it would lay the foundations for labour peace in the next three years.”
It is sad that there is no will from either Okypy or the political leadership to end the issue, he added.
“With what we had proposed, we would have lifted the strike and started a fruitful dialogue, so that the issue could be resolved once and for all.”
In light of the strike, Okypy said on Monday its highest priority is the maximum protection of patient health and safety.
“Okypy is making every effort to avoid the strike and assures that it remains committed to the safety and the provision of quality care to the public, while it is always ready for dialogue and constructive cooperation with all parties involved,” it said.
Disy president Annita Demetriou called on all those involved to “show a spirit of consensus and the government to provide solutions before it is too late.
“Public health must not become a field of continuous controversy with the patient as its victim,” she said.
Demetriou said that “everyone must assume their responsibilities so that not even an hour of treatment in public hospitals is lost.
“Let’s take a step back so that society can move forward,” she concluded.
After the meeting, Okypy spokesman Charalambos Charilaou gave assurances that the organisation has taken enough measures to continue the treatment of patients in state hospitals.
He also assured that the lives of patients will not be put at risk.
During the strike, A&E departments at state hospitals will operate with emergency staff and treat only emergencies and life-and-death situations.
All scheduled outpatient appointments, day hospitalisations for treatment, endoscopies and surgeries will be postponed, while hospitalised patients, including those in ICU will be served by emergency personnel.
Chemotherapy treatments administered to inpatients will still take place, while inpatients will continue to receive the required medical attention from emergency personnel.
Patients arriving at A&E in need of urgent medical care will be transported via state ambulance to private hospitals in their district, under the responsibility of the health ministry. This will only happen in cases where it is deemed absolutely necessary
