Today, Tuesday, the draft law of the Ministry of Health, titled “Reformation of the Personal Doctor System – Establishment of University Health Centers and Other Provisions of the Ministry of Health,” is being presented to the plenary.

With this bill, the reformation of the personal doctor system is being promoted, given, according to the explanatory report, that “the majority of existing doctors in the specialties of general/family medicine and internal medicine do not wish to join the personal doctor system, because the financial incentives are lower compared to the alternatives available to them in the private sector. As a result, the personal doctor reform has been ineffective for about fifty-five percent (55%) of all healthcare service recipients.”

Regarding the personal doctor system, the bill’s provisions include:

• Registration with a personal doctor remains mandatory for the population.
• The personal doctor will remain the gateway to public health services; however, other doctors also have the right to refer patients, after informing the personal doctor about the specifics of their specialty.
• The right to register with only one personal doctor is maintained, with the possibility of transferring up to twice per year.
• The limits of 2,000 patients per personal doctor and 1,500 patients per pediatrician remain.
• The ability to designate doctors from other specialties, other than general/family medicine and internal medicine, as personal doctors is abolished.
• Private doctors, doctors serving in rural areas, and graduates from medical schools who wish to obtain a specialty title in Greece are now included in the categories of personal doctors.
• A 40,000 euro incentive for attracting doctors to the specialties of general/family medicine and internal medicine is established.

The bill also provides for the conversion of Health Centers into University Health Centers, which will be linked to the Medical Departments of public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). “The proposed reform is expected to significantly contribute to the upgrading of Primary Health Care services,” “to ensure continuous and optimal education for healthcare professionals across the country,” and “to provide high-quality medical services to residents of the country, regardless of their geographical distribution, using modern digital tools for telemedicine,” as stated in the explanatory report.

In the Social Affairs Committee, where the bill was discussed in recent days, the New Democracy party supported the bill. The bill was opposed by SYRIZA, KKE, New Left, and “Niki.” PASOK, the Greek Solution, Plefsi Eleftherias, and the “Spartiates” reserved their final position for the plenary session.