THE new law on patients’ rights is not currently working as it should be.
That was the verdict of Christos Kyrou, a spokesman at the Movement for Patients’ Rights. “New measures need to be taken as the law is not being implemented as it should be. We have sent a letter outlining our concerns to Health Minister, Andreas Gavrielides, and are awaiting his response.”
Legislation was passed in 2004 protecting the rights of patients, helping to provide them with better service. It came into effect on April 7.
The island’s five main hospitals each have their own patients’ rights counsellors to examine complaints against the system and to give out advice.
Counsellors have been placed at the General Hospital and Makarios Hospital in Nicosia, and at the General Hospitals in Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos, the Health Ministry said.
Their job is to advise and help patients in safeguarding their rights, to receive and handle complaints, and to help and guide nursing and administrative personnel as to the provisions of the legislation.
The scheme was officially announced by President Tassos Papadopoulos in January.
The law provides that patients should enjoy the respect of their health care suppliers, good quality of care, continuity of care, the right of choice or transfer and religious and psychological support and guidance.
It also prohibits discrimination, and guarantees the right to full disclosure of a patient’s condition.
The law was put together with the help of the Patients’ Rights Association, which has been battling for years for changes to the law. The Association had been handling patients’ complaints, since it was founded in 1996, and says many people faced traumatic experiences, which further eroded the dignity of those who were already ill.
But concerns have been raised over the choice of counsellors.
Kyrou told the Cyprus Mail yesterday: “the five people were selected in a rush on a two-month temporary basis. Not much thought was put into the appointments and the proper people must be put in place.”
It has emerged that only two days before the law was to come into effect, a counsellor had still not been appointed for Nicosia General Hospital. Apparently, the Health Minister called Yiannis Violaris, who works in the accounting department at the Ministry of Defence, and offered him the position.
A source, who wished to remain anonymous, criticised his appointment. “He was not suitably qualified and didn’t even have an office initially. It’s not his fault though as he tried hard, but nobody helped him. On June 6, his contract was up and since then, the office of the counsellor at the hospital has been closed.”
But Violaris himself hit back, saying his role “was more of a clerical one and that he would be back at the hospital from today, for another two months.”
Kyrou claimed that patients “don’t know much about their rights at the moment and some aren’t even aware of the existence of patients’ rights counsellors”.
