Filenews 5 May 2022
The population of Cyprus is one of the healthiest in Europe, according to the country's "health profile", which was prepared in the framework of a joint effort of the OECD and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, in cooperation with the European Commission. The report, presented today at an online conference, says that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, life expectancy in 2020 remained stable at 82.3 years. The main causes of death are heart diseases, cancer and diabetes.
During the conference, participants noted the implementation of the GHS at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak and the resilience of the system when it was tested to the extreme during the pandemic.
According to the report, in general, the population of Cyprus is one of the healthiest in Europe. According to the situation in August 2021, the impact of COVID-19 on mortality and life expectancy was limited. The population has good results in the health sector, despite risk factors such as smoking and obesity. Since 2019, reforms have been implemented in the health system to introduce universal coverage and improve overall efficiency despite the ongoing pandemic, and changes in healthcare funding mechanisms have facilitated the ability to mobilise in the event of a peak in needs.
In addition to improving coverage and resilience, the new General Health System is expected to improve accessibility by reducing waiting times.
As in several other EU countries, the growth of life expectancy in Cyprus has slowed over the last decade. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, life expectancy in 2020 remained stable at 82.3 years. The main causes of death are heart diseases, cancer and diabetes.
Specifically, lung cancer has proven to be the leading cause of cancer mortality on the island, for 2020, reaching 4.5% (268 cases) and ischemic heart disease, causing 633 deaths, a rate of 10.7%. Strokes also had high rates (360 or 6.1%) In the same year, COVID-19 was attributed 131 deaths, a rate of 2%.
According to Erika Richardson, a Researcher at the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies that prepared the report, smoking and childhood obesity are major public health issues on the island, with 33% of men smoking daily in 2019, and 14% of women, while obesity rates among children are the highest in the EU and alcohol consumption below the EU average.
He also noted that the report showed that health spending remains well below the EU average, representing 7.0% of GDP while per capita health expenditure in Cyprus remains consistently below the EU average, representing €1881 per capita in 2019 compared to €3523 for the EU as a whole. The costs for all components of the system are low. An important objective of the recent far-reaching reforms of the health system to introduce universal coverage is to reduce direct private expenditure, which has been the highest in the EU, by improving the financial protection of beneficiaries.
The report also showed that proportionally and in absolute terms, the costs of outpatient care and pharmaceuticals are high in Cyprus, while the costs for preventive services are among the lowest in the EU.
Access to health, he showed, is generally good for most of the Cypriot population, but is affected by labour shortages, especially in the nurses' sector. Also, despite the large total number of doctors, there are shortages in the public sector.
The report also said that fundamental reforms in the health system have been successfully implemented despite additional pressure on the system from the COVID-19 pandemic. Relatively high vaccination rates have been a key factor in preventing deaths from the coronavirus during the pandemic.
Although mortality rates from preventable and treatable causes are overall relatively low, there are variations in access to various services, which affect health outcomes.
For example, although screening rates for cervical cancer are proportional to the EU average, and despite a national screening programme, in 2019 only around 31% of women aged 50-69 had undergone breast cancer screening in the last two years – far below the EU screening rate (59 %).
Access to health, according to the report, is generally good for most of the Cypriot population, despite high spending levels. The recent reforms have allowed for greater flexibility in the system and the maintenance of access during the pandemic.
The reforms introduced in the area of funding just before the pandemic have enabled greater flexibility in the design and conclusion of contracts with service providers. This has facilitated the development of mobilization capacity in the peak phase of the COVID-19 crisis.
Cyprus has also been able to rapidly develop its national vaccination campaign. The main capacity limitation is the continuing shortage of health workers
Speaking at the presentation, Senior Medical Officer at the Ministry of Health, Irene Kotter said the report is a useful tool, which will help shape policies in the future.
He referred to the need to create a multidisciplinary task force to implement a strategic plan.
The President of the Pancyprian Medical Association, Dr. Petros Agathaggelou referred to the lack of capacity planning, as well as the shortages in the nursing staff.
The Director of the Health Insurance Organisation, Andreas Papakonstantinou, spoke about the need to protect the health system. He said that the GHS has only just begun to stabilize after its intense use due to COVID, while it has been shown to be economically viable even after the intense use in the first years.
The president of the Federation of Cyprus Patients' Associations, Marios Kouloumas, spoke about investing in the infrastructure and said that total spending on health is still low.
He also talked about a register of patients with chronic diseases in Cyprus, since on the island 2 out of 5 people suffer from chronic diseases.
CNA
