MPs flag flaws in Gesy personal doctor system
Parliament examined patient lists of up to 2,500, uneven training among personal doctors and a planned shift in how they are paid, as MPs weigh legislation on registration limits.
Changes to how personal doctors are paid, new quality criteria and the number of patients each doctor can register came under scrutiny in parliament on Thursday, as MPs examined weaknesses in the national health scheme (Gesy), as reported by Cyprus Mail.
The House health committee focused on the role of personal doctors, raising concerns over patient lists of up to 2,500 people, differences in doctors' training and whether the current system offers enough incentives for quality primary care.
Health Insurance Organisation (HIO) representative Petros Neophytou said the organisation plans to change the remuneration model for personal doctors in 2027, moving from the current 80-20 arrangement to a 70-30 model, increasing the share linked to performance. The HIO is also introducing quality criteria and reassessing performance indicators, he said.
Neophytou acknowledged that doctors with different levels of training had been admitted to the personal doctor system when Gesy was introduced. "Some doctors without a specialisation were also included in the group of personal doctors," he said, adding that "this distortion has an expiry date". He nevertheless said most personal doctors were doing a "fairly good job" and stressed that patients are free to change their doctor.
According to Pancyprian Medical Association representative Andreas Ioannou, Gesy currently has 640 personal doctors, including 150 specialist physicians, 150 general practitioners and 80 doctors from other specialties. "There is inequality in the training of personal doctors," he said. "Not all doctors have the same knowledge, but they are called upon to do the same job." Around 170 doctors currently have roughly 2,500 patients each.
The size of those lists prompted Disy MP and acting committee chairman Charalambos Pazaros to announce after the meeting that he intends to submit legislation on the maximum number of patients a personal doctor can register. "No one can deal with 2,500 patients," he said.
Patients' association Osak called for the institution of the personal doctor to be upgraded, with doctors building a genuine relationship with patients and guiding them on prevention. Pasiki president Sotiris Koumas described personal doctors as a cornerstone of Gesy but warned that doctors were being pushed towards the private sector and that public hospitals and accident and emergency departments were being "stripped" of staff.
The discussion followed a World Health Organisation study on Gesy commissioned by the HIO. A health ministry representative told MPs the report did not document abuse of the system but made recommendations for improvements, while the finance ministry said it supported the WHO recommendation for a mixed remuneration model for personal doctors and its further expansion.
What it means for residents
The debate touches the first point of contact most Gesy patients have with the system, so any change to how personal doctors are paid, assessed or capped on patient numbers will shape access to appointments and referrals. For now nothing has changed: the new pay model is planned for 2027 and the patient-list cap still needs a bill in parliament.
- Expect a wait. The payment reform is set for 2027, and any legal cap on patient lists must first pass through parliament, so current arrangements stay in place for the time being.
- You can still switch. The HIO says patients are free to change their personal doctor, which is worth remembering if getting an appointment is difficult.
- Watch the bill. If MPs legislate a maximum number of patients per doctor, that could affect how easily you register with a popular physician.
This text is written from the source article and is not a translation of it.
