Overseas healthcare complements Gesy, health minister says

Nicosia, Cyprus. Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides said overseas healthcare complements rather than replaces the general health system, Gesy, as Cyprus cannot provide every highly specialised treatment domestically.

Support for patients seeking treatment abroad

Speaking on Friday at an event on patients’ rights and overseas healthcare, Charalambides said the issue had “very concrete significance for patients and families who, in a difficult time, need to seek treatment outside our country.”

He said Cyprus, as a small island state, could not reasonably develop every highly specialised treatment locally, particularly for rare diseases or procedures offered only at a limited number of specialised centres abroad.

The minister said the state’s responsibility went beyond establishing mechanisms for overseas care, citing the national contact point as a resource for patient information and guidance.

Applications and approval figures

The Health Insurance Organisation (HIO) has managed the process for sending patients abroad since taking over responsibility from the health ministry 11 months ago.

Figures presented to the House health committee on Thursday showed that the HIO received 1,234 requests for overseas treatment over the past year. Of those, 889 applications, or about 72 per cent, were approved.

Among the approved cases, 657 patients had either travelled abroad or remained overseas while receiving treatment.

Processing timeframes

The committee discussion was requested by its chairwoman, Disy MP Savia Orphanidou, following reports of delays in processing applications for treatment abroad in recent months.

HIO Director Monica Kyriakou told the committee that applications are assessed in three categories according to urgency.

Life-threatening cases require patients to leave for treatment within 48 hours, urgent cases must be processed within seven days, and regular cases within 30 days.