Kittas: The parties must agree because the patient cannot endure for long

The interim Health minister has described vividly the problem faced mainly by cancer patients due to the lack of drugs.

"We have a sick person and that’s the economy of our country. The doctors, who are actually the parties, are called in. One suggests chemotherapy, the other suggests surgery. We are the interim government, the nurses, we treat the patient and we keep him alive. The Greek people who are at this moment that patient will decide what tactics will be used to perform this surgery. If there are disagreements the parties must agree because the patient cannot endure for long," warned interim Health minister Christos Kittas.

Speaking on the morning television show on ANT1, Kittas called upon pharmacists who, as he argued, know too well the current problems "to resolve the issues we can in order to serve the patient. I ask everyone to do what they can to ease the situation."

Kittas stressed that when he took office, there were certain obligations of the government to individuals and added: "This would be funded by an EU package. If we had that one billion euros now we would solve a few problems."

Despite the journalists’ questions, the interim minister did not want to explain his view further, since as he said he does not want to be involved in the pre-election controversy. However, the 1 billion euros Kittas referred to is the amount cut from the Europeans from the May installment of 5.2 billion euros.

The interim health minister spoke of the agreement reached with pharmaceutical companies to pay the amount equivalent to the value of drugs upon delivery.

In a telephone intervention on the same show, former Health minister Andreas Loverdos noted that the problems are caused by the attitude "of some companies like the Swiss Roche that demand to be paid in cash" and added: "Also, some private clinics send their patients to public hospitals for their medication and have them come back to receive their treatment."

Drugs have been secured but only for one month

The disbursement of 30 million euros from the administration of the National Health Service Organization (EOPYY) for the purchase of the so-called expensive drugs intended to treat serious diseases such as cancer, is expected to smooth the dramatic situation in recent weeks and give a breather to cancer patients who are racing with time to ensure the oncology drugs.

After the agreement of the interim Health minister with specific pharmaceutical companies that have the lion's share in the distribution of oncology drugs, cancer patients will be served normally by EOPYY pharmacies, public hospitals and private clinics.

Given however that the average monthly cost of the health system for the oncology drugs of Greek patients is about 17 million euros, one realizes that the amount EOPYY will disburse, and gradually for that matter, covers only the current month.

Securing funds for EOPYY repayments to all borrowers, among which are the pharmaceutical companies, will be the major issue in health care.

Today, there will be a new meeting in the Finance ministry regarding the amounts owed ​​by EOPYY, which could be paid to suppliers, diagnostic centers, private clinics, doctors and hospitals.