given the opportunity to freely choose their own doctor.
At first, from today and until next June, the choice for a doctor will come from the total of 20.000 affiliated doctors that provide primary health services to professionals and civil servants (OAEE and OPAD are the respective insurance bodies). The visit will be made simply by showing the health booklet while the cost of medical visit, test or prescription will be borne by the insurer.
But since June, the same care process will continue with greater range in terms of doctors and benefits for members as it will fully implement the integration of health disciplines of insurance funds (IKA, OGA, OPAD, OAEE) and the treatment will come under the umbrella of the National Organization of Health Services (EOPYY).
What is changing today for the insured:
* They can visit all the branches of IKA and be advised by the relevant statements that have been posted, for doctors providing primary health care in OAEE and OPAD, and who now will serve them.
* Furthermore, they may seek to obtain the personal formulary that will be used from now on for the coverage by the network of doctors who will provide them with medical care. According to IKA, the distribution of drug formularies will be completed in the coming weeks.
* The insured at IKA-ETAM when visiting the above-mentioned doctors at their private practice, must show their insurance booklet. OAEE and OPAD doctors will prescribe in their simple formularies until the distribution of personal formularies is finished.
* Prescription will be carried out by the pharmacies affiliated with IKA as it is today. The doctors’ fee will be 20 euros per patient and 10 for re-examination. They will write on a separate page in their personal formulary, the name, the registry and AMKA of the insured but also the time and date of the examination, all to be confirmed by the patient. The total of these pages will be submitted to IKA at the end of each month and the doctors will receive their fee.
The strike bulletin of the week
Tomorrow, Tuesday, the multi-bill of the Health ministry is entered in parliament and it includes all the disputed regulations for the medical and pharmaceutical world. So the actions of the relevant bodies will be as follows:
* IKA doctors have announced repetitive 24hr strikes until Friday, changing their initial stance for a long duration strike until the elimination of the bill.
* The representatives of the NHS doctors (Federation of Hospital Doctors of Greece and Association of the Athens-Piraeus Hospital Doctors) have announced repetitive strikes until the voting of the bill.
* The pharmacists around the country are keeping their stores closed until next Wednesday.
BY PANAGIOTA KARLATIRA
SOURCE: PROTO THEMA
