President: GeSY is here to stay

GeSY, Cyprus’ general health scheme, is here to stay, President Nicos Anastasiades said on Monday, stressing that, in cooperation with all stakeholders and parties, the government will take measures to address any distortions and make the scheme, not just viable, but also provide "the best possible medical services in the world."

In his address at the 59th assembly of civil servants’ union, PASYDY, President Anastasiades said that GeSY, “is here”, after decades of discussions, because the state owed this to the people.

He expressed the conviction that, compared with other schemes that have been applied for decades, it is one of the most properly operating schemes, but said he does not overlook what has been pointed out about problems faced. However, he said, in cooperation with political parties, with all stakeholders but also all the citizens “we will take those measures to end distortions, to make it, as far as possible, not just viable, but to provide the best possible medical services in the world,” he said. GeSY is here to stay, he added.

The President also referred to a gradual reinstatement of civil servants’ slashed benefits and to the high sense of responsibility exhibited by civil servants to the challenges posed by the pandemic.

In addition, President Anastasiades called on everyone, especially the political parties and social partners, to back the national, “Cyprus-Tomorrow” recovery and resilience scheme “to more effectively deal with the new needs of the modern era.”

He stressed that, when he assumed duties as President, one of his most important objectives, was the reform and transformation of public service to a more flexible, more efficient and more effective mechanism. Referring to a series of bills passed by Parliament, he said, they "significantly improve the state mechanism operation".

He said that the civil service reform is part of a broader strategy and philosophy of the government to create a modern state that will provide quality services that serve the economy, but also respond to the increased demands of today's society.

In relation to the national scheme, "Cyprus - Tomorrow", which, he said, includes 58 crucial and necessary reforms and 76 investment actions, President Anastasiades said that they are the greatest reform and development intervention since the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus.

The economic impact of the “Cyprus – Tomorrow” scheme, without calculating the expenditure of annual budgets, amounts to €4.4 billion, he added, while the implementation of the scheme is expected to lead to an increase in gross domestic product by 7% with the creation of 11,000 jobs, he said.