Cyprus Mail 14 June 2025 - by Marilena Panagi
Doctors, nurses, nursing homes, all health professionals follow mandatory protocols, have specific guidelines and other clinical tools in their hands for guidance, are trained, checked, evaluated.
In fact, in the case of doctors, the training will also be linked to their credits for the purposes of renewing a license to practice the profession. Common protocols on the basis of purely scientific documentation for medicines, evaluation of health technologies on an organized basis and proper information and education of the patients themselves.
In simple words, what the National Centre for Clinical Documentation is coming to implement in Cyprus, which has as its mission to cover the huge gap that exists in the health sector and concerns the evaluation of clinical work and the assurance and maintenance of the quality and safety of the services provided.
The second largest reform, after the GHS, in the health sector is taking shape. The Centre, which will have the character of a private law organization with only the Ministry of Health as a shareholder, will have a board of directors in which all scientific and not only, health bodies will participate and will operate on the basis of special scientific or interdisciplinary technical committees as the case may be.
The EKKB has already got to work. Thirty protocols and clinical tools have already been prepared and by the end of the year, their number will rise to 90.
The electronic platform for e-learning for professionals and patients has been created and the process for the preparation of the framework for conducting clinical screening and inspections is in progress. In fact, the EKBT will soon be transferred to the Parliament, since the bill that provides for all its responsibilities is ready. Within the next few days, it is expected that the necessary legal and technical control will be sent to the Legal Service.
"The National Centre is expected to be the largest reform in the health sector after the GHS and is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the GHS", said the Minister of Health, Michalis Damianos, speaking to "F", adding that "its establishment is foreseen in the program plan "Cyprus Tomorrow" and the Recovery and Resilience Plan with a budget of €3,000,000 and specific timetables with a completion milestone in December 2025".
Protocols and other clinical tools
The protocols that will be prepared by the ECJB and drawn up on the basis of international documented practices and scientific data, will be mandatory in terms of their implementation. That is, doctors will be obliged to follow them when exercising clinical work. The guiding nature of the clinical guidelines, as well as other clinical tools, which are also developed on the basis of internationally documented practices and scientific data, will be guided.
Besides, the implementation of the mandatory protocols will also be one of the instruments that will be used for monitoring and exercising control and evaluation, which will aim to ensure and maintain the quality of the services provided.
The protocols/guidelines and other clinical tools will be posted on the EKBD platform and will be accessible to all healthcare professionals since they will not only concern doctors.
E-learning platform for professionals and patients
The e-learning platform will be available to doctors and the aim of its operation is continuous training which will contribute to ensuring the quality level of services.
In the case of doctors, after the passage of the legislation that provides for their compulsory education and their scoring for the purposes of renewing their license to practice the profession, the platform will be linked to the specific procedure of the PIS.
The platform, in a specific area, is also available for patient education. In simple and understandable language, patients will be able to be informed about the protocols related to their condition, as well as about all the guidelines, so that they will be able to work properly with their doctors in managing their problems.
Distance education, for the time being, concerns doctors and the EKB, but will then be extended to other health professionals.
From the HIO to the ECBC, the Advisory Committee on Medicines
With the operation of the EKB, the data are also changing in terms of the preparation of protocols for the administration of medicines. The ECHR will undertake this process and the current Medicines Advisory Committee operated by the Health Insurance Organization will be transferred to the competence of the Centre.
The protocols for medicines will apply to the GHS, while the HIO will retain its right to set additional, its own criteria when negotiating with pharmaceutical companies for the purposes of the inclusion of preparations in the GHS and for compensation purposes. This change is expected to significantly relieve the HIO.
However, the European program "Evaluation of Medicines and Health Technologies", which is currently under the Pharmaceutical Services of the Ministry of Health, is also transferred to the ECB.
The progress of implementation so far and what is expected next
The Chairman of the Centre's Coordinating Committee, Professor – Doctor Fr. Giorgos Sammoutis, analyzed the five pillars of the ECB's operation, as they were reflected in its design, giving details on the progress of their implementation.
"The first pillar was to decide on the model of organization and operation of the Center. A thorough study was carried out and it was decided that the Centre would operate as an Organization under private law, with the Ministry of Health as the only shareholder".
The second pillar was the creation of a legislative framework. "The consultation regarding the draft law has been completed. We expect the HIO to proceed with the change of the GHS law on the issue of the Medicines Advisory Committee (which is transferred to the Centre), in order to be able to send the bill to the Legal Service for legal and technical review".
The third pillar concerned the adaptation of protocols/guidelines/clinical pathways on the basis of a specific methodology. "The required protocols have been delivered after consultation with the relevant scientific societies."
The fourth pillar concerned the creation of the e-learning platform. The platform has been created". Through this platform, "it is possible to connect to scientific e-learning databases and to score trainings".
Finally, the fifth pillar concerns clinical audits and inspections. At the moment, a process is underway to create the framework for their implementation".
