Minister defends overseas treatment as HIO handles over 1,200 requests
Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides says overseas care complements Gesy, as figures show the HIO approved 72 per cent of requests to send patients abroad in the past year.
Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides said on Friday that treatment abroad complements rather than replaces the general health system (Gesy), as reported by Cyprus Mail. Speaking at an event on patients' rights and overseas healthcare, he said the issue has "very concrete significance for patients and families who, in a difficult time, need to seek treatment outside our country."
Charalambides acknowledged that Cyprus, as a "small island state", cannot reasonably develop "every highly specialised treatment domestically", especially for rare diseases or procedures available only at a limited number of specialised centres abroad. He said the state's role goes beyond setting up referral mechanisms, pointing to the national contact point as a source of information and guidance for patients.
The process for sending patients abroad is managed by the health insurance organisation (HIO), which took over responsibility from the health ministry eleven months ago. Figures presented to the House health committee on Thursday showed the HIO received 1,234 requests over the past year, of which 889 — about 72 per cent — were approved. Of those, 657 patients either travelled abroad or remain overseas receiving treatment.
The committee discussion, requested by chairwoman and Disy MP Savia Orphanidou, followed reports of delays in processing applications in recent months. HIO Director Monica Kyriakou told the committee that applications are assessed under three categories: life-threatening cases must see the patient leave within 48 hours, urgent cases must be processed within seven days, and regular cases within 30 days.
Kyriakou said Gesy doctors submit applications on behalf of patients and must specify the seriousness of each case. A rejected application does not necessarily mean a patient is ineligible, she added, as some are completed incorrectly by the referring doctor and can be resubmitted. A ministerial representative told the committee that work is under way to allow travel and accommodation costs for people accompanying patients abroad to be paid in advance, an option currently available only to vulnerable patients.
What it means for residents
For anyone in Cyprus facing a rare or highly specialised diagnosis, treatment abroad remains part of what Gesy covers — but the application route runs through your Gesy doctor and the HIO, not the ministry. Knowing the urgency categories and keeping paperwork accurate can make a real difference to how quickly a decision comes.
- Check the category. Life-threatening cases should be cleared within 48 hours, urgent ones within seven days and regular ones within 30 days — ask your referring doctor which applies to you.
- Fix rejected paperwork. A rejection is not final: if the form was filled in incorrectly, it can be corrected by the referring doctor and resubmitted.
- Costs for companions. Advance payment of travel and accommodation for someone accompanying a patient is being prepared, but for now it applies mainly to vulnerable patients.
This text is written from the source article and is not a translation of it.
