Israeli health ministry seeks clarification over Hadassah centre in Cyprus

Limassol, Cyprus. Israel’s health ministry said Hadassah Medical Centre had not informed it about plans to establish a medical centre in Cyprus. Speaking on Friday to the Cyprus Mail, the ministry said it had asked the hospital for clarification and additional information, including details of the intended medical services.

Oversight and funding

The Israeli ministry described Jerusalem-based Hadassah as a publicly funded hospital whose state support is intended to secure public healthcare for Israeli residents. It said the hospital falls under the statutory oversight of both the health ministry and the finance ministry.

According to the ministry, new hospital activities, especially those beyond its campus, must undergo a “regulatory and financial review” to safeguard the availability of healthcare services and medical staff, as well as the hospital’s financial stability.

Hadassah received state funding totalling 162 million shekels, equivalent to over €46.5 million, last year. The hospital clarified, however, that it “did not invest a single shekel” in the Limassol centre, whose funding comes from Cypriot investors.

Centre disputes concerns over its operations

On Thursday, Hadassah Medical Centre Limassol maintained that its operations were lawful and covered by the necessary licences. It also said no patient had ever undergone plasmapheresis at the centre.

In its statement, the centre accused an earlier Politis report of creating misleading impressions that needed immediate correction. It rejected the suggestion that a specific complaint remained pending and said it had received no notification of any finding calling its current operations into question.

Cypriot authorities examine complaints

The Cypriot health ministry said it was examining new complaints and that the centre’s sole licence was for an imaging centre.

Deputy permanent secretary Elisavet Constantinou said the centre held neither a hospital licence nor another licence authorising it to operate as a healthcare facility. Politis nevertheless clarified that the absence of those licences did not, by itself, render other activities unlawful.