Personal Doctor: Free visits to the pediatrician and a single 40,000 euros for young doctors – What the bill provides

for each citizen, free visits to a pediatrician and financial incentives for young doctors, are his main pillars for the personal doctor who was put into public consultation. Under the personal doctor bill, every citizen will now have the possibility to register for free to a doctor in the area where he lives and resides, as the number of those who have the possibility to become Personal Doctors increases significantly. At the same time, financial incentives are given to young doctors. In particular, any doctor who chooses in the year 2025 to train in the specialties of either General/Family Medicine or Internal Pathology will receive a single amount of EUR 40,000 at the level of mixed earnings. Also, the Personal Pediatrician is institutionalized. In the first place, about 530,000 children will have free access for the first time. In addition, 7 University Health Centers are established, one in each Medical School/ Part of the country in which members of the ICC will serve. In these, Telemedicine Stations will operate, while in the framework of the Telemedicine Network there will be 3,500 home care points throughout the country. Thus, wherever they live in the country, patients will be able to have home care with 24-hour uninterrupted medical supervision. The draft law will remain in public consultation until 8 October at 21:50. Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis said: Strengthening primary health care is at the heart of our reform work. With our new bill that went up today in public consultation we strengthen the part of prevention and preventive medicine in our country, through the institution of the Personal Doctor for all citizens, while extending the measure to pediatricians with the aim of covering free visits for 530,000 children 0-16 years old. Moreover, from 1/1/2025 in order to integrate more pathologists into the system than already existing, we will provide doctors who choose pathology or general medicine as a specialty, an economic incentive of EUR 40,000 once, in addition to their wages. But apart from the personal doctor’s measure, the new bill introduces a very innovative idea that I believe will completely change the health map. We intend to establish seven (7) University Health Centers, which will operate as Telemedicine Stations in order to effectively monitor and deal with medical incidents for residents of islands and remote areas. Next year, in the islands of all Greece, citizens will have the option, wherever they are, to access Teleconference from their mobile phone. This for me is a revolution in the health sector that will solve the eternal problem of access to Primary Health Care, patients who are in remote areas such as our islands and at the same time will lead to the saving of thousands of lives of our fellow humans. Deputy Health Minister Irene Pavlidaki said: Every citizen must have access to non-discriminatory healthcare, which is a priority for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. In the health ministry we work in this direction all the time. With this bill we want the system to function more fairly and more effectively. Every citizen should have the Doctor’s Personnel who will guide him and play an important role in the care and prevention of his health. For the first time, we give incentives to choose new medical specialists that will lead them to become Personal Doctors, while we care for 530,000 children to have a Personal Paediatric for free. At the same time, the establishment of University Health Centers and the introduction of telemedicine are an important first step in strengthening Primary Health Care, seeking medical care to reach every citizen, even if it resides in the most remote corner of our country. We continue firmly and effectively with the National Programme I prevent with free preventive tests and changes in Primary Health Care, to strengthen the health of the population in order to avoid illness, to earn more years of healthy life and to reduce inequalities in health. Our commitment to social justice is done through tangible results. More specifically, the seven key changes introduced by the draft law: More Personal Doctors: The categories of Personal Doctors are increased, as all rural service physicians and doctors who wish to acquire the specialty of General/Family Medicine during their training are now added. It is noted that all Personal Doctors of each category will be trained so that they can perform their role more effectively especially in relation to prevention. Economic incentives for young doctors: For the first time, 40.000 euros are given at the level of mixed earnings to those doctors who choose in the year 2025 to train in the specialties of the General Secretariat. Family Medicine and Internal Pathology. Automatic recording: Those citizens who do not register with a Personal Doctor of their choice by 01.06.2025 will be automatically registered with a Personal Doctor. It is noted that registration will take place at the level of Municipality or Home Municipalities so that the citizen has access to a doctor near the place where he resides, reducing access barriers. Establishment of a system of performance indicators for personal physicians: An effective system of performance indicators for personal physicians is established, based on objective data, such as the participation of the registered population in prevention actions, etc. The first phase of free access of 530,000 children 0-16 years in a Personal Pediatrician begins. The health ministry seeks to increase the number of children available by 100, to cover over half a million children in the first phase and in the next stage to increase the coverage rate of the children’s population. 7 University Health Centres: University Health Centers are established one at each Medical School/ Part of the country. The University Health Centers will serve IEP members (5 in each Health Center for Attica and Thessaloniki and 4 for other areas), with a focus on providing health prevention and promotion services to citizens, the training of physicians of P.F.Y., research, development of programs aimed at promoting community health and providing telemedicine services. Telemedicine stations and 3,500 home nursing sites throughout the country: Telemedicine Stations are being introduced to the University Health Centers with the aim that IEP members will undertake the work of Urgent Medicine can examine citizens living in remote areas and advise appropriate colleagues to deal with emergencies in a timely and effective manner and reduce unnecessary travel. In addition, the Telemedicine Network includes 3,500 points of home care throughout the country, so that patients can have care at home with 24-hour uninterrupted medical monitoring at any point in the country. The Personal Doctor is a free provision to all citizens who acquire a personal health consultant on health, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and guidance issues. It is the first contact of the citizen with the health system. He is responsible for the prevention, examination, updating of the individual electronic health dossier, prescription of medicines and referral for examinations to specialist doctors.