The debate before the House Health Committee, during which the procedure for bloodletting was discussed, highlighted the chaos that prevails in the oversight of facilities where medical procedures are performed.
As revealed before the Committee, the suspect plasmapheresis center in Larnaca, which is being investigated by the police following a complaint from the Medical Services, has closed following a voluntary decision by the owner.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Speaking on the Alpha Kalimera program, the Patient Ombudsman, Marios Charalambides, commented that there had been a previous investigation into this center, which—for the reasons that had been cited—was unable to substantiate certain allegations, so it remained open.
“Now, why it remained open and how the public was informed about these matters is another story. It is equally important, because if there is a gap that prevents me from taking action, but I know that there is indeed a risk to public health, then that is an issue we need to address to see how it can be regulated.”
Mr. Charalambidis emphasized that everyone acknowledges that there are many other centers, not necessarily for plasmapheresis, but also for various other medical procedures, which are also dangerous.
The first issue raised by the Patient Ombudsman concerns inspections: whether they are actually being conducted and how the many agencies involved—such as the Cyprus Medical Association (PIS), the Ministry of Health, the Cyprus Medical Council, the Pharmaceutical Services, and so on.
“Is it both legal and safe for us? For someone to confirm this, so many agencies and so many bodies must conduct the checks and verify it.”
The Ombudsman emphasized that “there are so many different components involved that if even one is missing, a person’s life is put at risk.”
Meanwhile, among other things, as mentioned, the Association of Medical Technology Equipment is unable to conduct inspections due to understaffing.
“In fact, another tragic issue was mentioned: someone can purchase a machine—with no checks on who is buying it— or even if it is inspected and found to meet the requirements, if the buyer then resells it elsewhere, the entire process falls apart,”
At the same time, there is no unified oversight mechanism to coordinate the inspections and the information exchanged by the relevant agencies, which would ensure that the system as a whole is secure.
Another serious issue concerns the actions agencies can take in terms of implementing measures.
“Therefore, I do not accept that immediate action should not be taken right now in these directions—including establishing a coordinated oversight mechanism and addressing legislative gaps—so that interventions can be made where necessary—and that is the crux of the matter.”
Even in cases where a measure can be imposed, according to Mr. Charalambidis, as proposed by the PIS, fines imposed on doctors who perform inappropriate procedures are not a deterrent.
The Ministry Is Preparing a Bill
The Ministry will undertake to draft a bill so that “address at least some issues that can be regulated by law, and beyond that lies the issue of a unified supervisory mechanism.”
Regarding the timeline, Mr. Charalambides noted that no specific dates have been set at this time, but they should be established in the very near future.
Meanwhile, members of Parliament have expressed their intention to move forward with legislative proposals should the ministry fail to take action.
