Health System

Health facilities are generally of a good standard. The emergency departments of all hospitals are manned with English-speaking personnel, although it is advisable to seek the assistance of an interpreter for more complex medical matters. Emergency medical treatment, administered in the Accident and Emergency department, is free to international tourists. International travellers are, however, advised to take out full medical insurance before departure. No health agreement exists with the UK.

Healthcare in Cyprus is inexpensive and constantly improving on this ambitious island. State hospitals are practically free, while private health insurance, for those who prefer it, can be obtained at a very low cost.

The medical needs of the Cyprus population are met through three systems of health services; the government health sector, the private health sector, and a number of schemes covering specific sections of the population.

The World Health Organization ranks Cyprus as one of the healthiest countries in the Mediterranean.
Since the country's independence from Britain in 1960, the government's main priorities have been health and preventative medicine. Consequently the quality of healthcare in Cyprus is high and life expectancy statistics compare favourably with those of other western countries. Many doctors are trained in the UK, and people living in many Middle Eastern countries choose to visit Cyprus for medical treatment.

Medical and health services are provided through both the public health service and private clinics and hospitals. Public and private medicine operate alongside one another in Cyprus and complement each other. Public General Hospitals as well as private clinics and hospitals are concentrated in the main urban areas, but there are health centres in rural areas, completing a network that meets the medical needs of the whole country.
Cyprus' public health service is funded through the social security payments of those who work on the island, whether Cypriots or foreign residents. The system provides free or low cost healthcare for those who contribute to social security, plus their families and retirees, and emergency treatment for everyone. However, the full public health service isn't available to foreign visitors, who require private health insurance unless they wish to pay high medical bills.
EU citizens who are visiting Cyprus can receive free outpatient or inpatient treatment with a European Health Card (the old E111), which is issued by the health authority in your home country. Note, however, that this covers only essential treatment and not routine treatment. Non-EU visitors must pay for healthcare.
Pensioners
Now that Cyprus has joined the EU, pensioners from other EU countries are entitled to use the public health system at considerably reduced cost. Non-EU pensioners must have private health insurance.
WARNING
Health (and health insurance) is an important issue for anyone retiring abroad. Many people are ill-prepared for old age and the possibility of health problems, and foreigners who can no longer care for themselves are often forced to return to their home countries. There are few state residential nursing homes in Cyprus, or hospices for the terminally ill. Provision for the disabled, such as wheelchair access, must be incorporated in all new public building and tourist facilties, although provision in older buildings and on public transport is below the average for Western Europe.
Protection of Health and easy access to Health Care System are Basic Human Rights which have to be met in every Democratic Country without taking into account Income or Economic Capacity of the individual.
Considering Health in Cyprus, we could state that it has an adequate standard, without disgregarding certain problems.
There is a good balance between the State and Private Health Systems which gives a Health Image easily comparable to that of developed countries. The Doctor/Patient ratio is 1 to 433 and the Hospital Bed/Inpatient ratio is 1 to 190.
Since 1960, the year of Cyprus's independence, emphasis was given to Prevention, a necessary aspect of Health Care. Cyprus is today admired for its Prevention Programs and has an international reputation for them. Prevention Program managed to practically eliminate diseases such as Malaria, Tuberculosis and Echinococcus, a disease that gave us second place in the word for incidence before the 1950's.
Recently a Cancer Prevention Program was launched with the use of a Moving Cancer Diagnosis Unit which administers the Pap-Test and Mammography to every woman in Cyprus, free of charge.
Due to the State and Private Sector efforts of the last two decades we now have a high standard of health care at relatively low cost.
The total Governament expenditure on Health is now a 4 to 4.5% of the Gross National Income in comparison to a 7% of highly developed countries.
In spite of the result of the Turkish Invasion and Occupation which left Cyprus with a loss of hundreds of Hospital beds, Private and State Medical Centers and Labs, Cyprus managed to improve Health Care Systems both in Manpower, Premises and Technology. Scans such as the MRI, the CT, the Ultrasound, Extra-corporal Fertilization modalities, Lithotripsia, Mammography, Osteoporosis early detection Tests and almost any other High-Tech Diagnostic Tool is available to the public.
Transplants are also performed in Cyprus, with special centers for kidney and corneal transplantations as well as Open Heart Surgery.
The National Social Security System which covers most of the population - indicatively, women are allowed a paid 16-week birth leave and a substantial birth allowance.
The various Medical Funds supported by Semi Government and Private Organizations and operated under special agreements with the Private Sector Health Care System. Medical Funds allow the citizen to visit the doctors or clinic of his choise at a relatively low cost