Nicosia, Cyprus. The supreme constitutional court on Friday annulled a decision by the administrative court that had upheld the health ministry’s refusal to cover the costs of treatment for a cancer patient who received care in the United Kingdom in 2012.
Case review ordered
The court ordered the case to be reviewed after evidence emerged that potential errors may have occurred during the investigation.
Background to the dispute
The case concerns a patient who sought treatment in London in 2012, saying the required procedure could not be provided in Cyprus. The treatment cost about €68,000, which the patient later claimed from the Republic.
Following the opinion of a committee of surgical specialists, the health ministry rejected the request for cost coverage, arguing that the treatment could have been provided at the general hospital in Nicosia.
Documents at issue
The appeal focused on documents confirming the Cypriot doctor’s lack of experience in carrying out the procedure in Cyprus. The supreme constitutional court said these documents were crucial to determining whether appropriate treatment in the Republic had been available at the time.
The administrative court had earlier rejected the documents’ validity because they were issued after the health ministry’s decision.
