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At the webinar organised by the NTA on: "Health Structures and Transparency" more than 150 professionals and executives from the public and private sector from all over Greece had the opportunity to discuss and learn about the importance of transparency and accountability in health structures in the era of the pandemic. The discussion was structured around the added value of internal audit in improving the functioning of health structures, and to what extent the pandemic was an opportunity for the adoption of innovative methodologies and tools that improved the processes and governance system of health structures.
A brief address was given by Mr. Ioannis Kotsiopoulos, General Secretary of Health Services, Ministry of Health, who referring to the cooperation with the NTA, said: "I am very interested in working with the National Transparency Authority and have excellent communication with NTA Governor, Mr. Angelos Binis. I believe that the Authority plays a very important role and provides us with invaluable advice in the fight against corruption in the healthcare sector".
Mr. Kotsopoulos continued: "As our country emerged from a decade-long economic and social crisis, the National Health Service (NHS) was called upon to face the greatest global health crisis in decades. Despite the problems, uncertainties and unknowns of the disease, the NHS managed to remain resilient and meet the needs of Greek citizens. But the pandemic also led to a transformation of the NHS. The number of intensive care units’ beds almost doubled, hospitals were staffed with doctors, nurses and other personnel, more than 15,000 auxiliary and permanent staff of all specialities were recruited, and modern medical technology was provided (through generous donations and state funding). Central procurement was carried out by the Health Regions and the National Central Health Procurement Authority (EKAPY). In addition, a major achievement of the public health system has been and continues to be the cooperation with the private sector, including private doctors and clinics".
The Secretary General of Health Services also emphasised that "during the pandemic and despite the difficulties, the staff of my office, in collaboration with the National Transparency Authority, developed the Anti-Corruption Action Plan for the Health Sector for 2021-2023, which was approved by the Minister of Health in January 2021.
The Operational Implementation Plan was prepared, the mechanism for monitoring the implementation of its objectives was defined and we are already working on the specification of the implementation framework of Law 4795/2021 on Internal Audit in NHS hospitals and the supervised bodies of the Ministry of Health. In every action and proposal, we look forward to working with the National Transparency Authority, we are making efforts to respond to its requests and we declare that we are its allies in the fight for transparency, considering that transparency is a necessary tool for proper and effective governance of health units".
Mr. Dimitrios Tsalikakis, Governor of the 4th Regional Health Authority of Macedonia and Thrace, referring to the very difficult period of the last 20 months that the health sector has gone through, stressed that "the word ‘transparency’ has acquired another meaning for us, the whole health system is under a microscope and we feel that we are constantly at the centre of the Minister, the opposition parties and especially the citizens who expect to see how the system will respond. This responsibility gives us the strength to continue our efforts and give our best every day".
Mr. Nikolaos Antonakakis, Governor of the General Hospital of Thessaloniki "Hippocratio", who during his speech said “The National Transparency Authority and the 4th Regional Health Authority of Macedonia and Thrace, deserve many congratulations both for the organization and for the excellent idea of today's event. I have the opportunity to thank both the Ministry of Health and especially the Secretary General Mr. Kotsiopoulos, the Governor of the 4th Regional Health Authority Mr. Tsalikakis, as well as all my fellow Hospital Governors for the excellent cooperation and mutual support we have had and continue to have throughout the pandemic period”. Referring to the Internal Audit he said "Although the Hospitals of Thessaloniki went through many difficulties during the pandemic period, the Internal Audit process has always been among the top priorities of our hospital. Internal Audit gives added value to the hospital and is one of the main tools that the Management of each Hospital has, so that it can improve its weaknesses and develop even more the Organization’s strengths of the Organization".
In the session titled "Internal Audit in Hospitals as a Tool for Improving Governance in Public Health Structures," the following individuals participated:
Mr. George Papanikolaou, Head of Financial Organization and Assistance of the 4th Regional Health Authority, who during his presentation, said that “The Management of the 4th RHA utilizes the Internal Audit tool in order to obtain the necessary assurances that all procedures and practices applied do not impede or jeopardize the objective purpose of the Health Region and the supervised Health Units (Hospitals, Health Centers, Local Health Units etc.), whose staff, despite all adverse conditions, continues to offer their services for the benefit of all patients, as Hippocrates defined in his oath”. He went on to say “The Management continues to support the operation of Internal Audit and the forthcoming establishment of Internal Audit Units both in the Health Region and in its supervised hospitals, which will be the spearhead in terms of transparency and highlighting best practices in their operation”.
Mr. Andreas Rodakos, Certified Internal Auditor with specialization in Public Health Service Providers and Scientific Associate at the University of Piraeus, during his presentation referred to the implementation of Internal Audit in Public Health Units. In particular, he analyzed the progress of the Institutional and Legislative Framework governing the Internal Audit as well as the main problems of its implementation. He also referred to the objectives that the Internal Audit must have in order to add value to the management of the Public Health Service and analyzed the key findings from the work of the Internal Audit Department in the 4th Regional Health Authority categorized by audit assessment and service structure.
Mr. Georgios Drogalas, Assistant Professor at the Department of Business Administration and Management - University of Macedonia, referred to the Internal Audit, saying that "it is one of the key pillars for the defence of the principles of good governance. At the same time, Internal Audit through its specialized and scientifically documented services to the Management can contribute catalytically to the achievement of its objectives. The independence of Internal Audit, support from management, compliance with the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing, the evaluation of Internal Audit, the existence of a common plan, a manual of operations and common audit tools, the adoption of the Code of Conduct and the formation and adoption of an internal audit culture are some of the proposals for strengthening the internal audit function. In conclusion, the optimal use of internal control is an absolute necessity for health units".
In the session titled "The Pandemic as an Opportunity for the Public Health System," the following participated:
Panagiotis Panteliadis, Governor of the AHEPA General University Hospital in Thessaloniki, who during his presentation said that "The pandemic of COVID-19 affected the health of citizens, the health system and the economy of the country. The advent of the pandemic demonstrated significant weaknesses in health systems around the world, and proved that they are not designed in a way that they are able to deal effectively and promptly with pandemics. It cannot be denied, however, that in our country brave steps were taken during the pandemic crisis and the response to it was based mainly on the National Public Health System. The inadequacies, the problems that emerged and at the same time the response that the Ministry of Health and the public health structures were called upon to demonstrate, within a very short period of time, was beneficial as it led the Public Health System to modernize its building and medical equipment through grants and to staff it with qualified personnel.
Ms. Evangelia Kourteli - Xouri, Governor of the Thessaloniki Cancer Hospital "Theageneio", during her presentation, stressed the peculiarities of the oncology hospital, the change in its operation mode due to the external threat that appeared as a result of covid-19, where the need to protect patients and staff and the uninterrupted continuation of the operation of the only oncology hospital in the North Greece area, created new challenges and dynamics. She referred to the inherent difficulties of monitoring the changes in the operational environment (internal and external) and the absolute necessity of capturing the culture of the organization and the full adoption of the already existing code of conduct. She then presented the information security management systems, business continuity and data protection program, which have already been installed at the hospital. She pointed out that "The ultimate goal is to meet the objectives of the system as well as to comply with the set goals, so that the Thessaloniki Cancer Hospital "THEAGENEIO" can be certified with ISO 27001 and ISO 22301". Ms Kourteli-Xouri also mentioned that due to the large influx of cases which, by necessity, were coming from other hospitals which, due to covid-19, could not serve these cases, the need to create a new oncology hospital was even more highlighted. She concluded her presentation by referring to the Prime Minister’s extremely important announcement at the Thessaloniki International Fair for the establishment of a new oncology hospital outside the urban area which will really give breath and relief to the whole Region.
Mr. Odysseas Katsakas, Governor of the Thessaloniki General Hospital of ‘Agios Pavlos’, who spoke about the redesign of the Health System in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic, through the redrawing of the health map, the strengthening of Primary Health Care (PHC), the digitalization of health and investing in human resources through training.
Mr. Odysseas Katsakas, Governor of the General Hospital of ‘Agios Pavlos’, who spoke about the restructuring of the Health System in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic, through the redrawing of the health map, the strengthening of Primary Health Care (PHC), the digitalization of health and investing in human resources through training.
During the discussion, an electronic poll was conducted using the online application "Mentimeter", which led to a very interesting exchange of views between the speakers.
The discussion was moderated by Giorgos Sakkas, health journalist for news247.gr.