The measures that prohibited unvaccinated medical staff from working will be suspended as of January 1, 2023, in line with a ruling by the Council of State, Health Minister Thanos Plevris said in an interview with MEGA TV on Tuesday. “We have already
reached a decision on how this ruling will be implemented, despite the fact that I consider it a risky decision for public health but, obviously, in democracies decisions are respected”.
Plevris explained that the Council of State ruling will be implemented but only after the necessary measures are taken to ensure a strict protocol that eliminates risk. “It will be implemented but on terms that protect public health,” he said.
Speaking of the “personal doctor” measure, Plevris said that “up to 4.7 million citizens have found personal doctors so far and one million appointments have been carried out. The institution needs time, we are in the first trimester since the implementation of the measure, we believe that with the new incentives that we will announce, we will attract more private doctors and consequently we will have full coverage of all specialists”. He also announced that a ministerial decision will be issued on Tuesday that postpones penalties associated with the personal doctor measure, because these only served a purpose when there was full deployment of the measure.
Strict protocols to be implemented for return of unvaccinated medical staff to work
Doctors and nursing staff who were suspended from duties during the coronavirus pandemic after refusing to be vaccinated will return to their jobs, following a Council of State (CoS) decision, under strict protocols as of January 1, 2023.
Greece’s highest administrative court ruled that the extension of mandatory vaccination for health workers until the end of 2022 was unconstitutional, because authorities were obligated to have reassessed the necessity of the measure before extending it.
According to AthensMacedonian News Agency information, Health Minister Thanos Plevris is reviewing options for a strict protocol of medical staff to duty, with measures that will ensure there is no threat of spreading infection in health facilities.
Among measures being considered are mandatory weekly or biweekly coronavirus tests (PCR or rapid test), which will be paid by the health staff themselves. Wearing masks is expected to be mandatory.
Commenting on the decision, Plevris said that the court’s decision “will be implemented, although I believe it is a decision that endangers public health.”
APE-MPE / General Consulate of Tampa
photo https://pixabay.com/el/
