State hospitals in Cyprus face fresh challenges as doctors and the of State Health Services Organisation (SHSO) prepare for a possible meeting on Monday.
The reason for this centres on the financial incentives for doctors’ services under the General Health System (GHS) in the last four months of 2023. An independent expert, appointed by mutual agreement, has concluded that SHSO should pay 2.5 million euros, according to sources familiar with the matter.
This figure falls short of the 4.1 million euros previously proposed by SHSO and rejected by the doctors’ unions PASYKI and PASYDY. The unions had threatened a 48-hour strike, claiming they were owed a significantly larger sum.
Health Minister Michael Damianos had previously intervened to avert industrial action, facilitating an agreement to appoint an independent expert. Both parties had publicly committed to accept the study’s findings.
Despite the expert’s conclusion being informally communicated last week, no official statements were made. The unions reportedly sent a letter to the Minister, questioning the study’s methodology and adherence to its terms of reference.
Minister Damianos has since reiterated the agreement to accept the study’s outcome, considering the 2023 financial matter closed. He has invited the unions to discuss incentives for 2024-2026 on September 3.
SHSO has called for a meeting with the unions to agree on the distribution of the 2.5 million euros among various hospital departments.
As of Friday, the unions maintained they had not officially received the study’s results and continued to raise concerns about its methodology.
