In a detailed and comprehensive response to the President of the Republic regarding the reshuffling, Popi Kanari sent a letter outlining step by step everything that was promoted during her 10-month tenure in the Ministry of Health, as included in the President’s electoral program.
Kanari’s written analysis, a clear indication of her dissatisfaction with her replacement, was accompanied, as we are informed, by a brief note stating that the purpose of her letter is to update the President of the Republic on the progress of the government’s Health program implementation.
Popi Kanari made sure to highlight in the accompanying table, attached to the letter, the serious health sector issues pending before the Council of Ministers that haven’t been addressed yet.
She emphasized that a significant percentage of the 77 actions outlined in Nikos Christodoulides’ pre-election program have been implemented, progressed, or are in the process of being implemented.
Specifically, according to Popi Kanari’s written report sent to the President of the Republic immediately after the announcement of her removal from the Ministry of Health, 26 out of the 77 pre-election commitments of Nikos Christodoulides have been completed and implemented during the first ten months of his governance.
Another 16 commitments are in the final stage of their implementation, while necessary procedures have been initiated for 22 commitments.
Regarding the pending matters in the Health sector that were forwarded by the Ministry of Health and have been subject to disagreements, mainly with the Ministry of Finance, and have now reached decisions from the President of the Republic, Popi Kanari makes relevant remarks, stating that “Approval by the Council of Ministers is pending.”
Simultaneously, she records the reasons why some of the President’s commitments have not been promoted, providing a detailed account of the events and the entities/organizations opposing their implementation.
In terms of the pending bills outlined in the President’s pre-election program, Popi Kanari reports:
- The bill concerning rehabilitation services has been submitted to the House of Representatives since June 2023.
- The bill regarding palliative care services has been completed and is expected to be submitted to the House within the first quarter of 2024.
- The bill concerning ambulance services awaits approval from the Council of Ministers before being submitted to the House.
- The bill amending the patient rights law and the establishment of the Patient Advocate institution is in the final assessment stage before approval by the Council of Ministers.
- The hospital operations bill is expected to be completed by May 2024.
- The clinical laboratories bill is estimated to be submitted to the House in the coming May.
- The bill establishing university hospitals has completed the re-consultation process and is expected to be ready within the current quarter.
In her letter to the President of the Republic, Popi Kanari includes a note listing actions that were implemented but were not part of Nikos Christodoulides’ electoral program.
In total, 16 actions are recorded, involving the development of national strategies or agreements with other countries.
Specifically:
- Strategies for health protection, disease prevention, and management were prepared, while the strategy for the health of the elderly was completed.
- Strategies for promoting natural childbirth, preventing prematurity, addressing heart diseases, and cerebrovascular incidents were also developed.
- Preparation for a strategy for mental health, a strategy for addressing nutritional disorders, and a strategy for improving the quality of life through exercise and healthy eating were advanced.
In addition to the strategies, several processes were promoted, including the construction of modern infrastructure at Nicosia General Hospital for the installation of an infectious diseases unit.
The Ministry of Health secured funding for the creation of a technological equipment agency. Memoranda were signed with Greece, Estonia, and Malta, covering transplants, mental health, electronic health, and the pharmaceutical sector.
It is reported that Popi Kanari analyzed everything she documented in her letter, which was sent to the Presidential Palace on Monday and yesterday to the President of the Republic during their meeting.
