Public hospital doctors who demand professional and legal protection if and when a case against them arises have already announced a three-hour work stoppage for Thursday.
The protection could be granted either from the Ministry of Health or the State Health Services Organisation (Okypy), they told Philenews on Tuesday.
However, after an intervention on Monday afternoon by Health Minister Michalis Hatzipantela the state of play seems to be changing. And the strong measures announced by the Pancyprian Association of Government Doctors (Pasiky) are expected to be suspended.
Head of Pasyki Sotiris Koumas also said that, based on rules and regulations of the General Health Service “every contracted provider or registered provider, such as doctors, is obliged to have insurance coverage for the services provided.”
A problem arises with those who work at Okypy because, among other things, there are three categories of doctors who are employed.
They are the permanent (civil servants) ones, those who are on an indefinite-term and temporary public servants. And there are also those who are employed under Okypy contracts.
“Before the operation of Okypy, we knew that doctors are covered by the state. Now the facts have changed and we have repeatedly asked for clarifications from the Organisation but they have not been given to us,” he said.
“This is why we are protesting…Okypy have been informed about this a week ago but we are still waiting for an answer,” he added.
