Legislative proposal for the inclusion of counseling psychologists in the Gesy system

The Parliamentary Health Committee is advancing a bill to include counseling psychologists as 'other health professionals' within the General Health System (Gesy). During a meeting held on Thursday, representatives Haralampos Pazaros and Alekos Tryfonidis confirmed that the proposal will be forwarded to the plenary session of the House of Representatives. The Health Insurance Organization (HIO) expressed willingness to integrate this profession, though it noted that legislative amendments might be unnecessary as the Minister of Health already holds the authority to include new services via decree. Despite this, the committee decided to proceed with the bill to guarantee the change is formally codified. Initial discussions suggest that counseling psychologists will begin with a limited package of services for specific health conditions, which may expand based on future budgetary assessments. The psychologists argue that this move is necessary to support patients dealing with social issues like bereavement or divorce, thereby preventing the unnecessary 'clinicalization' of non-clinical cases. Both the HIO and professional bodies have already established a basic framework for collaboration. The final implementation remains subject to financial estimations for the coming year.