Optometrists, dentists treat critical patients in coronavirus wards
The MOK made the letter, sent to Pintér on Thursday, public on Friday. In it, the chamber recalls that the government said on Wednesday it had involved the MOK in drafting the bill and would also discuss with it the implementing decrees. The letter refuted the first statement and calls for genuine discussions to make the second one true.
As far as we know, the decrees are not being drafted but have effectively been completed,
the MOK said, asking Pintér to publish a schedule for discussions by the end of this week. “The date the new law takes effect already makes genuine talks hard to fit in. There is also a great deal of uncertainty surrounding primary care by family doctors and dentists as doctors do not know what the future will bring. The chamber does not consider cooperation thus far a fair partnership,” the letter said.
The chamber’s letter also states that the coronavirus epidemic in Hungary is getting worse, with further dramatic increase to be expected.
The number of patients in hospital and on ventilators keeps increasing, and patients in critical condition in COVID wards are now being treated by optometrists, psychiatrists and dentists,
the MOK board said in the letter, adding that the appropriate government measures had still not been made.
In closing, the medical chamber calls upon the government “amend the law that has met with the substantial discontent of Hungarian health care workers in this critical situation, and draft the new regulations with the effective involvement of medical chambers so that doctors and nurses may concentrate on patients”.
Cover photo: MTI/EPA-ANSA/Massimo Percossi
