Private diagnostic centers call three-day strike

Private diagnostic centers across the country will be on strike on Thursday, Friday and Saturday amid a disagreement with the Health Ministry over its so-called clawback policy.

According to a letter made public on Monday, private diagnostic centers and medical laboratories have seen average losses of around 45 percent as a result of ministry efforts to contain expenses by reducing the amount it reimburses private facilities for tests for patients with state insurance.

The letter was addressed to the head of the country's main state healthcare provider, EOPYY, and states that the ministry's demand for rebates from diagnostic tests that have overshot its expense ceiling has grown from 11 percent in 2016 to 17 percent the year after that and to 24 percent in 2018.

The decision to strike will affect thousands of state-insured patents, who often have to wait weeks...