Roundtable at the 43rd Panhellenic Medical Congress
“The Participation of Citizens – Patients in Health Decision Making”
The President of the Hellenic Cystic Fibrosis Association, Dimitris Kontopidis, participated in the 43rd Annual Hellenic Medical Congress organized by the Athens Medical Society on 10-13 May 2017. The following are the main positions of the speakers on the topic “The participation of citizens – patients in health policy decision making” which was moderated by Professors A. Vozikis and K. Souliotis.
Kyriakos Souliotis (Associate Professor of Health Policy, University of Peloponnese): ‘The challenge is to recognize institutionally the participation of patients in the decision-making of Health Policy. This is common practice internationally, with Cyprus being a typical example, where a law was recently passed that obliges the central administration to do so. The Health System must stop discussing only with itself and seek evidence, positions and proposals from the citizens, to whom, after all, it is addressed for its funding.”
Giorgos Tsiakalakis (Ministry of Communication & Rights Protection, Greek Association of Oroposites “Positive Voice”): “The creation of a patients’ association is a necessary condition for our representation in the decision-making centres on issues concerning our life and health.”
Dimitris Kontopidis (President of the Hellenic Cystic Fibrosis Association H.C.F.A.): “Patients are the richest source of information and indispensable partners in health policy formulation. Their effective participation can be ensured through criteria of transparency, proportional representation, and training.”
Katerina Matsioula (Liaison Officer, Association of Liver Patients of Greece “Prometheus”): “Patients’ Associations have the opportunity to collect data representing the majority of patients and make them available to the relevant bodies for use when making health policy decisions. Today, it is more necessary than ever to institutionalise the participation of patients in these decisions and to raise their awareness in this direction.”
