Doctors' minimum daily office hours extended to 7 hours

Health Minister David Rath has issued a directive that extends the minimum daily office hours of general practitioners and dentists to seven hours. Up to date, doctors were only obliged to open their doors to patients for four hours and used the remaining time for administrative tasks or visits in patients' homes. Mr Rath says the number of doctors with short office hours is too high and hospitals have suffered as a result. While they should be attending to patients with serious medical problems, hospitals are often overwhelmed by patients with common health problems who seek their help because their doctors' offices are closed, Mr Rath says. Doctors' associations disagree with Mr Rath's decision and say it will harm the patients.