As the polls show Mr Anastasiades will be the next President of the Republic. Whether he will succeed or not in his new role no one can predict, though some preliminary thoughts can be made on the basis of his announced positions.
Mr Anastasiades’ positions regarding the health sector, as recorded in his election programme, contain a very good and comprehensive diagnosis of the problems of the sector, primarily recognising the absence of a national health system.
Even though the correct diagnosis is indeed important since it constitutes a key component in solving any problem, in this case it is not credited as an achievement to Mr Anastasiades since the absence of a national health system has been universally recognised for at least three decades.
Since Mr Anastasiades properly diagnosed the problem, we expected concrete proposals from him to solve it. Unfortunately in this area Mr Anastasiades has stayed in very shallow waters, merely referring to ‘an abstract’ national health system without giving any other information.
By stating that, as President, he will build on the work of the Health Insurance Organisation taking into account the new economic environment, he is actually admitting that he has not yet come up with a specific plan – unlike Lillikas and Malas who have specific proposals and timeframes.
Mr Anastasiades is at the forefront of the political life of the country for decades. If during thirty years of discussion regarding the National Health System, he has not yet been able to determine specific position, then some legitimate questions arise such as how effectively he works to resolve issues of paramount importance, how important he considers the NHS, and how credible is it when he observes that he will keep all his pre-election promises when in essence he does not promise anything specific on that issue.
Maybe his blurry position is a product of his communication advisors or of his courtiers who unsuccessfully tried to come up with a common position to serve their personal interests.
In the absence of specific pre election positions the only remaining thing, is to wish that after the elections, Mr Anastasiades will approach the topic of the NHS with more seriousness, responsibility and unselfishness for the benefit of his country.
Christophoros Zisis via email
