Pafos Press 25 February 2025
The Minister of Health, Michalis Damianos, gave an interview to our new website YgeiaPress , answering a series of questions concerning the critical sector of his Ministry as well as questions related to the Paphos district.
Mr. Damianos also responded to our question "whether the Ministry has any intention to create an oncology center in Paphos, something that is a long-standing request of the local community, and if so, what could be the implementation schedule?" .
The Minister of Health, Michalis Damianos, gave his first interview to our new website, YgeiaPress.
Mr. Damianos was asked to respond, among other things, to what is being heard about the very high fees of doctors in the Greek National Health Insurance System, the “invasion” of large companies from abroad that are buying up private hospitals in Cyprus. He also addresses the request of the Municipality of Paphos to make the Paphos Hospital a University Hospital, as well as the significant weaknesses observed in the city’s public hospital. Mr. Minister, how concerned is the state about the invasion of large companies from abroad and the purchase of private hospitals? Are there control mechanisms to ensure citizens’ access to quality health services? We see that this has become increasingly intense in recent times. After the operation of the National Health System, there has been an increased interest in creating or purchasing new hospitals by both foreign and local investors. Investments in the health sector by foreign or local companies are welcome for both the economy and the health sector. The construction of hospitals, regardless of the investor, is carried out based on a legal framework that is common to all. According to the relevant legislation, there are quality criteria that hospitals must meet in terms of building infrastructure, their staffing and their medical equipment. It is noted that all hospitals are inspected by a team of authorized Inspectors for compliance with the provisions of the Law, in order to ensure the quality of the services provided and the safety of patients. In addition, the state has provided grants to hospitals for the purpose of their accreditation and the modernization of medical equipment. Minister of Health The Minister of Health, Mr Michael Damianos – What are the most important problems facing Health in Cyprus today and what are the priorities of the Ministry for addressing them? Since the beginning of my term as Minister of Health, I have prioritized the promotion of the health of citizens, the strengthening and shielding of the General Health System and the support of public hospitals as an integral part of the health system of our country. The creation of the National Cancer Institute is being promoted Our main weapon in the effort to upgrade the health services provided and by extension the shielding of the General Health System is certainly the preparation and promotion of bills, something that we have done since the day I took office at the Ministry of Health. In this direction, we have submitted to Parliament the bill for the Patient Ombudsman, which we hope will be voted on by the Plenary in March. Also, the bill concerning the Supervision of the General Health Insurance System, Clinical Laboratories, as well as the bill for Rehabilitation Centers, has been submitted. In addition, the legal technical preparation of the extremely important Bills for University Clinics and for the Paramedic Profession has been completed, which will be submitted to the Council of Ministers for approval next Wednesday. Finally, the consultation of the bill for the National Clinical Documentation Center has been completed, while the bills for Palliative Care and Radiodiagnostic Centers are in the Legal Service. The Council will seek to adopt a recommendation on smoke- and aerosol-free environments, focusing on key outdoor areas like playgrounds and restaurant terraces, as well as emerging tobacco and related products such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and heated herbal products. Prevention programs are also at the top of our agenda. Our goal is to strengthen and enhance population-based screening programs. In the coming weeks, we expect to be able to launch the long-awaited colon screening program, while we will then intensify our efforts to implement screening programs for prostate and cervical cancer. In addition, we are planning to implement a population-based program to detect Autism Spectrum Disorder in infants aged 18-30 months. At the same time, the creation of the National Cancer Institute is being promoted, which, among other things, will be responsible for the organization, evaluation, and accreditation of all oncology services, focusing on the main pillars of action of prevention, early diagnosis - treatment, research and innovation as described in the National Cancer Strategy. Within the coming weeks, we will announce the operating model of the National Cancer Institute. We are concerned about the abuses against the General Health Insurance System As for the General Health Insurance System, in addition to upgrading the services provided by hospitals, our main concern is the implementation of the plan the organization has agreed with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance. We must see significant changes even in the way hospitals operate. Certainly, everything cannot be done in one day, but on the other hand, it is not possible for the organization to continue operating in the way it operated before the reform.Finally, the issue of proper supervision of the General Health Insurance System is an important bet that we must win. With the passage of the relevant legislation and through the know-how that has been accumulated in recent years by the office of the General Health Insurance Supervisor, we will implement our supervisory role as a Ministry with the aim of strengthening and further improving the General Health Insurance System. – There are reports that some doctors are “hoarding” through the General Health Insurance System. How do you comment on this phenomenon and do you believe that it may affect the long-term sustainability of the system? Abuses against the General Health Insurance System are a matter of concern to us, which is why we work closely with the Health Insurance Organization and support the measures it takes to address this phenomenon. Their response is multifaceted and multi-level, with emphasis on both prevention mechanisms and detection and investigation methods. The Health Insurance Organization uses the Information System to implement rules to prevent the submission of claims that are impermissible, but also uses claim control mechanisms both on a sample basis before their compensation and advanced data analysis to identify unusual trends and behaviours that require further investigation. In addition, through mechanisms for receiving complaints and allegations, it receives information that it evaluates accordingly. Hundreds of investigations have been conducted to date from the entire range of providers and penalties have been imposed where violations of the Legislation have been proven. G.L. Pafos as a 1980 building presents various structural and operational problems However, I would like to point out that it is legitimate for good professionals in the health sector to be well paid as long as they provide high-quality services to patients. As for the financial sustainability of the General Health System, the actuarial study of the ILO, which was completed very recently, shows that the System is financially sustainable until 2032 in all scenarios, without requiring any increase in the existing contribution rates. However, despite the predictions of the studies, we - beneficiaries and providers - must protect the General Health System and ensure its sustainability in the long term. – Is there an intention to create an oncology center in Pafos, which is a long-standing request of the local community? If so, what could be the implementation schedule? All health needs will be assessed through the completion of the Capacity Planning for the Health Sector in Cyprus. This strategy covers infrastructure, the number of health professionals and equipment. So, to answer your question, if it becomes clear from the Capacity Planning for the Health Sector that we should proceed with the creation of an Oncology Center in Paphos, we will examine it with the utmost care and act accordingly. – We see that Paphos Hospital has serious problems, both in terms of building and operation. Is it time for a new Hospital or for a radical upgrade? To be completely honest, Paphos General Hospital, as a building from 1980, presents various building and operation problems that clearly need to be addressed. The State Health Services Organization is taking various actions to resolve them, however, there is still much that needs to be done to upgrade the Hospital. In recent years, more than €21.8 million has been allocated to upgrade the Hospital, both in building infrastructure and in the purchase and installation of medical equipment, some of which are currently under implementation. A new state-of-the-art Haemodialysis Unit has been created, while the expansion of the Accident and Emergency Department, the creation of a Short-Term Hospitalization Department, and the configuration of a 4th floor for services for mother and child, which concerns the Gynaecological / Obstetrics and Paediatric Department, are currently under implementation. It should be noted that with the completion of the projects and the operation of the aforementioned Departments, an autonomous Pulmonary Clinic will operate in the existing Paediatric Ward. Also, the upgrade of the air conditioning system has been completed, as has the change of the nurse call system. In any case, we must continue the efforts to further upgrade the General Hospital Hospital as at this stage there are no thoughts of building a new hospital. – The request of the Municipality of Paphos for the creation of a University HospitalCan this be a new step for Health in Cyprus? How do you evaluate this proposal?
Through the bill on University Clinics, which we will submit for approval to the Council of Ministers next Wednesday, the possibility of creating university clinics and hospitals will be given, which must of course meet the necessary conditions and criteria.
To create a university hospital, it takes a lot of time. We must be honest. With the passage of the bill, we will first provide the legal weapons so that university clinics and hospitals can be created.
