The Health Ministry is proposing five key changes to the long-running bill on the establishment of university clinics, in an effort to bridge differences between the various bodies involved.
Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides presented the proposed amendments before the House Health Committee, describing them as substantive changes that do not, however, require the withdrawal and resubmission of the bill.
The legislation has had a troubled history, having moved back and forth through parliament for years.
Five key changes
The first change concerns the administrative and clinical governance of hospitals.
According to the minister, overall responsibility will remain with the body legally responsible for operating the hospital.
University clinics will have an academic and clinical role, but this will not result in the creation of what Charalambides described as “a parallel hospital within a hospital”.
The second change provides for a clear separation of responsibilities.
The university will hold academic responsibility, while the hospital will remain responsible for operations and clinical governance. Each doctor will retain the professional responsibility corresponding to their role.
These responsibilities will be set out within a binding framework to eliminate any grey areas.
Third, cooperation agreements between universities and hospitals will be required to include specific provisions covering:
- staffing;
- working hours;
- on-call duties;
- use of infrastructure;
- financial costs;
- insurance;
- research;
- data management;
- and mechanisms for resolving disputes.
The fourth proposed change concerns common quality standards for both public and private hospitals, based on objective and verifiable criteria.
At the same time, transitional provisions should not result in permanent privileges.
Existing structures will be assessed according to the same criteria that apply to everyone else, with the aim of achieving full accreditation.
Patient rights to be explicitly protected
The fifth change would explicitly enshrine patients’ rights in the legislation.
Patients would have to be informed and give their consent before participating in clinical education, while their privacy would have to be protected.
They would also have the right to refuse to participate without this affecting the quality or continuity of their medical care.
The proposed changes additionally envisage meaningful participation by organised patient groups in monitoring the implementation of the legislation.
Revised text still awaited
Charalambides said consultations have been completed, although he clarified that the bodies involved have not yet seen the proposed amendments.
He expressed the view that another round of consultation should not be necessary.
“We do not have the luxury of another endless postponement of the discussion,” he said.
House Health Committee chair Savia Orphanidou called for the amended text to be sent to parliament as soon as possible so MPs can begin examining the bill article by article.
The DISY MP stressed that the objective is to complete the discussion and send the legislation to the House plenary, “where each party will assume its responsibilities”.
