A fierce clash over the National Health System, support for health care workers, and relations with business interests was had in the House of Assembly by Adonis Georgiadis and Nikos Andoulakis on the occasion of the defeat of the bill on the institution of the personal doctor by PASOK.

The President of PASOK insisted on the need to adopt the amendment tabled by his party on the classification of health workers as heavy and unhealthy and responding to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis who earlier explained that the legislation would bring early retirement of 7.500 doctors at a time when the NHS needs recruitment, he said: “Hasn’t the prime minister’s colleague been found to protect him and tell him that it takes 12 consecutive years of heavy insurance to get a doctor to retire at 62? So much ignorance?”

“You told us that for heavyweight he needs 12 years of continuous insurance to retire. But don’t you know that those who have completed 62 years can redeem them?” the Health Minister retorted to add: “It is their constitutional right. And this right is currently enjoyed by 7,500 doctors who have reached the age of 62. So you are insisting and telling us that at a time when we are facing shortages and giving incentives to attract health workers, we have to drive out 7,500 doctors.”

Andoulakis expressed objections to the bill that strengthens the institution of the personal physician, saying the way it is being introduced disrupts the trusting relationship between health workers and patients. “Education is one thing and clinical practice is another. In the EU, the role of the family doctor requires a period of specialization of 3 to 5 years. Are you not aware of them? You are taking us back to the days of the NHS when rural doctors were the only doctors in the region. You are undermining the trust of patients and doctors. Soon you will be telling us to abolish the specialty to tell us that you are not legislating something absurd. Once again the citizen will be asked to dig deep into his or her pockets.”

“Your initiatives will lead to a deterioration in quality indicators and an increase in private health care spending,” the PASOK president said, adding: “We are proposing another model for the provision of an integrated package of services. The institution of a personal physician is provided only to those who have no other option. It is identical to the concept of trust. The trust of citizens in the institution and trust of the doctor in the primary health care system. Nothing is guaranteed as you legislate.”

Androulakis extended the criticism, arguing that the daily life of citizens has been degraded, as the country, instead of converging with the EU, is diverging. “You have failed miserably at all levels, he said to add: “You are in your 6th year of government but our people see every day that the New Democracy government is saturated. It has nothing to offer but problems. It is time for the country to change direction and we are in a position to open a dialogue with citizens and productive society to develop a plan of hope. This plan we aspire to be the government plan of the next government of the country, to free the people from the conservative policies of the New Democracy.”

Responding, Georgiades initially said: “You called us a lucky government when in the first four years a global pandemic broke out with all that it entailed for the NHS. And then the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. All of which Mr Androulakis described as luck and blessing. I do not know whether for PASOK pandemics and wars are luck. I come to heavy and unhealthy work. Mr Andoulakis has presented us with a front page of the NEON because it is probably the government’s ruling paper for him. Everyone chooses his editors and his friends. I inform you that no headline binds the government no matter how reliable the newspaper is as the NEA is.”

Reacting to the Minister’s references to relations with publishing interests, Androulakis said: “Last time it was Mr Mitsotakis who accused me of relations with interests. May I remind you what happened? A few hours later his two closest associates were drinking whiskey with the businessman,” he added: “You had unprecedented media support. We are investing in the people and the popular verdict to make you a thing of the past.”

The clash between the two extended to the reintroduction of collective bargaining agreements, but also to responsibility for entering memoranda.

“You guys abolished collective bargaining agreements. The PASOK governments” Georgiadis said, adding “You will tell me, of course, that we had memoranda then. We had them because you managed to bankrupt us.”

“You are managing 70 billion euros. What can the PASOK government of 2009 say when it took over from you a country with a 15.5% deficit?” Andoulakis retorted.