in-cyprus 12 February 2025 - by Marilena Panayi
The general health system (GHS) will eliminate waiting lists for urgent specialist appointments by introducing a mandatory 10-day maximum waiting period, the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO) announced on Tuesday.
The new measure, effective from March 1, 2025, requires all specialist doctors to schedule urgent referrals within 10 days of the initial request, whether made by the patient or the referring physician.
This initiative follows the organisation’s decision last year to categorise specialist referrals as either “routine” or “urgent”, marking a significant step towards improving healthcare accessibility.
The HIO has advised doctors to reserve specific hours or days for urgent cases, noting that such referrals constitute 3.5% of total specialist visits.
“The classification of short-term referrals into routine and urgent aims to improve healthcare delivery, enhance service quality, and provide more effective care based on patients’ health needs,” the organisation said in a statement.
The new system applies to all medical specialties within the General Health System, with the HIO urging all specialist doctors to comply with the 10-day requirement for urgent referrals.
This development represents the latest phase in Cyprus’s healthcare reform programme, which began with the initial referral classification announcement on January 31, 2024.
