Doctors say they have decided to go on a stike from e-prescribing from tomorrow until Monday.

Excluded are emergency cases and people with disabilities.

They oppose the provision in the psychiatric reform bill that provides for severe penalties if private doctors refuse to support the NHS in areas where health units are understaffed. That is to say, it provides for the termination of a contract with the EOPYY and exclusion from electronic prescribing.

As the president of PIS, Athanasios Exadaktylos, said the doctors are calling for the withdrawal of this provision and dialogue with the Ministry of Health, saying that last year the problem was solved with cooperation, but this year the minister is trying to solve it with threats. He estimated that the situation will become worse in the hospitals if this tactic by the health ministry continues. Vacancies in the NHS are reaching 6,000 and we are heading for the worst, he said.

We understand, he said, that this is a harsh reaction and so he apologised and asked for the understanding of the public.

He announced that on Monday the presidents of the Medical Associations will be in Athens so that they can all join together to call for the withdrawal of the provision.

Dimitris Varnavas, General Secretary of the PIS, said that more problems will be created and spoke of the extreme dismissive behavior of the Minister of Health.

The health system needs institutional scientific and financial incentives to doctors to enable it to function smoothly, he added.