The government must make a decision on the hospital network reform by the end of January, public media reports.
The Ministry of Health is ready to submit the prepared report to the Cabinet of Ministers and approve it even without the support of coalition partners - the Union of Greens and Farmers (UGF), said Health Minister Hossam Abu Meri during the broadcast of the program "Today's Question."
The report on the reform was scheduled to be discussed at the government meeting on December 16, however, after objections from the UGF, the discussion was postponed. According to the minister, UGF representatives want to familiarize themselves more thoroughly with the content of the document.
"There is nothing bad in this document. It outlines the idea of transitioning from five levels of hospitals to three, considers various models for border regions, and addresses issues of cooperation between hospitals. There is nothing that could scare hospitals or their staff," emphasized Abu Meri.
A decision has been made to create a coordination group involving representatives from the three ruling factions. The first meeting of the group may take place on Friday, December 19, and the second after the New Year.
"At the coalition meeting with the Prime Minister, we agreed that a decision should be made by mid or the end of January. We will not postpone it," stated the minister.
He also noted that discussions with hospitals are still needed regarding the new model of emergency departments that the ministry plans to implement in the second half of next year, as well as to pilot several funding models for hospitals.
