Chronically ill patients are left without the necessary nursing care because of procedures in place by the Health Insurance Agency (HIA) on the number of visits they are entitled to in their homes by a nurse.
This is what Philenews reported on Friday, adding that this procedure either delays their recovery in the case of temporarily bedridden people or puts them at risk when they are permanently bedridden.
Association of Rare Diseases head Charalambos Papadopoulos said “the problem concerns all patients who need nursing care at home but is certainly much greater in the case of seriously chronically ill patients who are permanently bedridden.”
These patients are entitled to a certain number of home visits by a nurse, he explained.
When this number is reached, as is the case with other services offered through the General Health System (Gesy), they have to submit a new request for an additional number of visits.
But, until the request is approved by the HIA the patient is either left without nursing care or has to pay out from his pocket pocket for services that he is normally entitled through the Gesy.
“And we are certainly not talking about small amounts since each visit costs around €20-€30 and if a patient needs a large number of visits, as is the case for permanently bedridden patients, then you can only imagine how high this amount can be,” he added.
