Summary of the Healthcare and
Consular Team meeting
at Palia Ilectriki, Paphos. 22.10.2015
Hosted
by Mrs Christina Smith, Vice Consul, Nicosia -
the Consular Service covers the
whole of Cyprus
Consular Information Latest Updates.
Yearly
average of Consular cases: 171 – consisting of deaths, arrests, and
hospitalisations.
69%
male. 64% reside in Cyprus
The
Consulate can assist anyone who holds a British passport.
Consular
Assistance is global – arrested, detained, victim of crime, sickness, death.
Can do
Will
endeavour to be in contact with you within 24 hours of notification of need.
Family
and friends will be contacted only with your permission.
Can
issue emergency travel documents.
Can
help with organising transfer of funds.
Can’t do
Can’t
get you out of prison/or stop authorities from deportation.
Can’t
give legal advice, investigate crimes or do physical searches.
Can’t
help to get you to a country needing a visa if you do not already have one.
All
births and death registrations and certificates are now done in UK
Self Help
Have
your Cyprus Residency registration yellow slip.
Register
with HMRC in Britain
Have
your emergency contact list by your phone – in case of emergencies.
Put
your next of kin contact details in your passport.
In case of a crisis
The
British Consulate is able to help British nationals, entitled families, and
modes of
transport registered in Britain
To
receive information on travel alerts sign up on-line at Foreign Consular Office.
Keep
in touch with local organisations networking across the community.
Listen
to media, radio, tv.
Department of health -
Contact
detail information:
International
Pension Centre – (+) 441912187777 for S1 form (previously S121)
Overseas
Healthcare Team – (+) 441912181999 for EHIC / PRC
HMRC
– (+) 441912037010 – for workers posted overseas
Cyprus
Ministry – hhtp://www.moh.gov.cy
NHS
Choices – Cyprus
The
EU has 28 member states with a total of 503 million people. Each country has
its own
social security set-up. Visitors
to any EU country are covered for all medically necessary
health care by their
EHIC card and their own health insurance during their temporary stay.
This can
also cover treatment for as long as it would take in UK
until sorted.
If
you are having ongoing health treatment while you will be travelling you can
arrange in advance through your health centre/hospital to have it in the EU
country you are visiting,
eg. blood tests, chemotherapy, medication, etc.
You
must have a GP in order to be referred for hospital treatment in Cyprus UK
If
you need medical prescriptions, under a recent cross-border directive you need
to ask
your GP to give you a prescription for cross-boarder purposes.
Early
retirees have to arrange their own health insurance as they are not covered in Cyprus
by International Pension Centre.
If
you are living in Cyprus
and registered with a S1 form you get full NHS care in UK
If
you return to UK
April 2015.
However some GPs and local hospitals have not yet fully registered the fact,
so
they may have to be reminded/informed.
If
a pensioner dies, their dependant must contact the International Pension Centre
and
take out private health insurance until they are of pensionable age
themselves.
Non-EU
widow or widower of EU citizen who had EHIC needs to contact Overseas
Healthcare team/International Pension Centre.
Healthcare team/International Pension Centre.
If
you live in Cyprus and work
in the UK
If
you are resident in Cyprus
your passport you do
not need the yellow slip residency paper. If
you are resident after
2004 you must get a yellow slip for Cyprus Residency
registration. 90
days is the period
for visitors in Cyprus
In
the past the British Consulates were manned by employees sent straight from the
British Foreign Office, but now they are run by British citizens who are
already living in the country
and so they know and understand the potential
problems from the inside and sometimes
from personal experience themselves.
