Filenews 28 November 2025 - by Marilena Panayi
The family of a seriously ill patient, who needs 24-hour nursing care at home, fell victim to deception by health professionals. A relevant complaint was filed by the son of a patient who, due to serious health problems, needs constant monitoring and care by a nurse. The family, in order to meet his needs, proceeded to purchase nursing services from a private company, paying several hundred euros on a weekly basis.
Along the way, however, and since the patient needed a specific specialized service, the family turned to the State Health Services Organization (OKYPY) in order to secure it from the community nursing department through the General Health System.
OKYPY responded, however, when the procedures for the service of the patient began, it was found that the visits that he had the right to secure through the GHS for the current year had already been used. Simply put, the private company that served the patient was paid by the family and at the same time submitted claims for compensation to the Health Insurance Organization.
The biggest problem, of course, concerned the fact that the patient lost his right to free services through the GHS, since the system software showed that he had already received these services, regardless of the fact that the family also paid the nurses of the specific company privately.
These are "unacceptable phenomena that should not be tolerated either by the citizens or by the HIO", the spokesman of the Cyprus Federation of Patients' Associations told "F". Dimitris Lambrianidis stressed that "on the one hand we have a man who needs home nursing care and pays for it out of his own pocket, on the other hand we have a private company which is paid twice and, finally, we also have the HIO which provides home nursing services with restrictions, regardless of the health problem that each person faces".
The problems faced by patients in general when they need nursing services at home, "are reflected every month in the relatively large number of complaints received by the OSAK Patient Rights Observatory", said the Federation's spokesman, adding that "as OSAK we have repeatedly raised this issue with involved ministries and the HIO, without, however, to date any decision having been taken that really frees our patients".
In the month of October, the Patient Observatory "in addition to the case of deception of the citizens and the HIO, received four other relevant complaints that show us that at the moment some citizens pay out of their own pockets, some are paid twice for the same services and most patients are actually left without the services they need".
The gaps, explained Mr. Lambrianidis, "are not limited to nursing care. They extend to the provision of all the necessary services, which may fall under the competence of the HIO, the Ministry of Health, the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare or other state bodies, so that patients live with dignity, families do not suffer and the country's health system really provides citizens with everything they need without discounts."
"Whether a patient needs care, nursing, medicine and others at home, whether a patient needs institutional care or rehabilitation are not issues that should be addressed "horizontally" by anyone. On the other hand, we very often see that there are no beds available in care centers or rehabilitation centers and families are suffering because many hospitals ask for the urgent transfer of the patients they treat, either to their homes or to other structures."
All this, said the OSAK spokesperson, "are phenomena that we should no longer see in Cyprus. The HIO must assume its responsibilities. We demand more quality in a health system that thrives in numbers for providers but not at a satisfactory level of quality overall for patients. The State must also assume its responsibilities towards the citizens and certainly, political decisions and political will are needed to achieve the goal, which is none other than for each citizen to receive the services he needs at the time he needs it without him or his family being trapped in procedures, restrictions and lack of availability".
Citizens' complaints highlight the extent of the problem
In the first case, a relative of a person with dementia contacted the Patient Observatory asking for information on how it would be possible to ensure home services from a nurse and doctors. The patient, due to her incontinuous monitoring by specialized professionals, does not regularly receive her medication with all that this implies for her condition.
In the second case, the family of a patient with dementia and cancer turned to the Patient Observatory asking for help and guidance. The family took over the entire care of the elderly woman, including her constant monitoring. Despite the efforts made, however, the patient still needs nursing and medical monitoring at home, palliative and palliative care and the family needs psychological and other support.
The third case concerned a patient's daughter, who is bedridden and receives home care. The complaint concerned the family's difficulty in transporting the patient to the doctor's office, either for examination or to be given the flu vaccine, since as a person belonging to the vulnerable groups of the population it is imperative to receive it.
GHS personal doctors have the possibility, through the System, to make home visits, however, they are not obliged to do so. As a result, patients either do not receive the services they need or are forced to buy out of their own pocket, in this case the vaccines they need to be administered at home.
The fourth case concerned the difficulty faced by many families in their effort to secure a specialized center to meet the needs of their patients-members. Specifically, the son of an elderly woman with serious health problems or who also went through a stroke, contacted the Patient Observatory, because, as he informed, the hospital, where his mother was, needed the bed and despite the efforts made, it was not possible to find a center to take it over without delay.
