Th. Plevris: In February the final tables for 5,000 permanent recruitments in the NSS

“The announcement has been made for the recruitment of 5,000 permanent medical nurses and other staff, by February 2022 the final tables will be posted and if necessary there will be another announcement.”

This was stated in Parliament by the Minister of Health, Thanassis Plevris, answering a series of topical questions from opposition MPs regarding the recruitments and the problems that exist in the National Health System, due to the pandemic.

“All the announcements have been made in the recruitment of permanent and seasonal staff, there is obviously a problem due to retirements, resignations or job suspensions, but we try to immediately fill the gaps that are created”, stressed Mr. Plevris, while assuring that every effort will be made to to pay the vigils of all beneficiaries who helped deal with the pandemic.

For his part, the former minister and MP of SYRIZA Panagiotis Kouroumblis, spoke about “a very difficult and extremely painful situation that prevails in the primary health structures of Athens, and especially in the Health Centers of Peristeri and St. Petersburg due to the pandemic.”

Mr. Plevris acknowledged that “there is a great burden on primary health” noting that “due to the priority given to vaccination coverage does not work to the extent we would like.”

He assured, however, that “in January, with the bill that will be submitted for primary health together with the modernization of the National Health Benefits Organization, they will help to deal with the problems”.

Mr. Plevris agreed with Mr. Kouroublis’s remark that “the whole political system should have a dialogue for the upgrading of primary health”, assuring for his part that “it will soon open with the discussion of the bill and beyond “Our ideological differences will be largely open because we believe in building primary care.”

SYRIZA MP Giorgos Varemenos stressed the need to hire permanent cleaning and care staff in hospitals, in order, as he said, to ensure both the employees and the public interest, with Mr. Plevris answering that “the responsibility for the situation lies with the SYRIZA government that approved the solution of seasonal staff, turning a blind eye and deceiving the workers, thus transferring the problem to the new government of ND “.

“We are talking with the staff to solve the problem. We are extending their contracts without changing their character to meet the needs where they exist and not to leave gaps. From there on, hospitals will be given the opportunity to decide, and where “they think they will hire external staff”, said Mr. Plevris.

MEPA25 MP Kriton Arsenis referred to the unacceptable delay, more than a year, of hiring two pediatric surgeons at the Agia Sofia Children’s Hospital, as he said.

Responding, Mr. Plevris acknowledged that there was a delay in the completion of the process, which, as he explained, “is due to official reasons” and expressed the hope that the problem will be resolved very soon.

“Where there is a problem, we cover it with auxiliary staff, but at the same time new positions of permanent staff are announced. In no case is there a question of non-operation of the Children’s Hospital”, he added.

KKE MP Manolis Syntyhakis, referred to “the serious problems that exist in the ICU of Venizelio Hospital, with employees sounding the alarm bell, mainly for the seriously ill” and stressed the need to be hired with immediate and urgent personal procedures “.

“The pandemic has indeed created great needs in primary health care that are difficult to meet only with seasonal staff. There is a big problem of auxiliary staff up to the recruitment of permanent staff. operation of ICUs and hospitals “, concluded Mr. Plevris.