Filenews 3 June 2024 - by Marilena Panayi
The Health Insurance Organisation proceeded to the second phase of the integration of rehabilitation services into the General Health System on Friday, which is now studying its data in order to determine the date of inclusion in the System of the other categories/diagnoses for which GHS beneficiaries will be able to secure services when they need them.
According to the relevant announcement, which was sent to the System's professionals, as of Friday, the GHS is also offering rehabilitation services to patients with specific respiratory diseases. These diagnoses include patients who are hospitalized on a ventilator in an Intensive Care Unit and patients who have been intubated or have been in hospital for a long time or have a chronic respiratory disease in need of oxygen. It is reported that conditions were set for each diagnosis, with the HIO pointing out in its announcement that "malnutrition or morbid obesity will be considered aggravating factors of the disease" and therefore, patients "will be evaluated as a matter of priority".
Patients with neurological diseases (priority to patients with traumatic brain injuries, cerebral haemorrhage, stroke, severe neurodegenerative diseases, nervous system tumours and severe neuropathies), patients with spinal injuries with severe tetraparesis, paraparesis or quadriplegia, amputations, as well as multi-injured patients who are hospitalized in a trauma center or surgical departments with simultaneous monitoring by other specialties on the basis of their clinical picture. Services through the System also receive (on the basis of criteria) patients undergoing coronary artery bypass, valvuloplasty or valve replacement, aortic aneurysm and congenital heart disease rehabilitation operations.
The procedure for referring patients to a centre which offers rehabilitation services through the GHS remains the same for the new category that has joined the System.
The expansion of rehabilitation services in the GHS comes at a time when the bill for the operation of Rehabilitation Centres in Cyprus, as we are informed, is in the final stage of processing by the Ministry of Health and is expected to return to Parliament for discussion and voting this summer. It is recalled that this bill was submitted to Parliament by the former Minister of Health Popi Kanari last June, however, the competent parliamentary committee on Health considered that there had not been sufficient consultation between the parties involved and therefore the current Minister Michalis Damianos, immediately after taking office, withdrew it in order to proceed again to dialogue with all interested parties. The dialogue has reportedly been concluded. It is reported that, due to the absence of legislation, only three centres operating within hospitals are currently included in the GHS.
