House concern over health co-operation

DEPUTIES yesterday expressed their concern over what they said was the lack of co-operation between public doctors and the two new child neurologists with which the state is co-operating.

The two new doctors started working three months ago.

The contract was signed with the neurologists to assist the public health system in dealing with the excessive amount of cases they need to deal with, as well as exceptionally long waiting lists.

Child neurologists Stavros Hadjiloizou and Paola Nicolaides told the committee they were currently treating outpatients, but would like to take a more active role.

“We didn’t come here to manage a grocery store,” Hadjiloizou told deputies.

The doctors’ contract provides for the clinical examination of patients, scientific research and allows them access to state hospitals if they are invited to do so by the doctors.

But they told deputies that since they were appointed three months ago they hadn’t once been asked to examine patients in hospital, except for one recent case where the invitation was made by the child’s parents, who were paying a private doctor to treat their child.

DISY deputy Kyriacos Hadjiyiannis said he had personally received complaints by parents concerned about their children’s health.

Committee chairman Eleni Theocharous called on the Health Ministry’s permanent secretary to investigate the claims and inform the committee.

He requested the accusations be given to him in writing and promised to thoroughly look into the claims.

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