Cyprus Mail 8 April 2020 - by Evie Andreou
The private sector will be treating all urgent cases to allow state hospitals to be able to respond to increased needs due to the coronavirus pandemic, state health services organisation Okypy announced on Wednesday.
As part of the new arrangements, private hospitals will be treating urgent cases through their accident and emergency departments. Patients will either be transferred there by ambulances or can directly go there on their own.
Private hospitals will also be carrying out urgent surgeries that cannot be performed at state hospitals and treat patients referred to them by public sector clinics and A&Es.
“The health ministry will not assume the costs for any patient who seeks help from the private sector on their own and who does not fall into the above categories,” Okypy said.
Suspected coronavirus cases are handled only by state hospitals, it said.
As regards cancelled appointments in outpatient care, patients are urged to book appointments either directly with specialists that are under Gesy or contact their personal physician (GP) for a referral or advice on what to do.
“Both GPs and specialists are obliged to serve these patients.” Okypy said.
Scheduled surgery appointments concerning urgent cases will be referred to the private sector. Okypy urges patients whose urgent surgery has been cancelled, in the case they have not yet been contacted, to call their attending doctors in state hospitals to look into their case.
In the case they are not able to find their doctor, patients are urged to contact the Okypy executive director of their district.
As regards other surgeries that are not urgent, patients will be given a new date. In the case these patients’ condition worsens or changes, they are advised to contact their attending doctors, or their GP or Gesy specialist doctors.
