Doctor appointment woes as Health Ministry imposes limits

People insured with the EOPYY national healthcare fund may face trouble getting an appointment with their doctor as new rules go into effect as of Monday.

New measures introduced by the Health Ministry limit the number of patients doctors can see in a week to 100 and the time of each consultation to 15 minutes.

The new rules are apparently aimed at ensuring that all patients are granted an appointment, according to EOPYY, though critics say that the 100-consultation limit is too low, especially in rural parts of the country where a single doctor may serve several villages.