Filenews 5 November 2025 - by Marilena Panayi
Literally everyone is fighting with everyone about everything in the field of Health. Disagreements between those involved are still going on, public and behind-the-scenes confrontations are giving and taking and almost all the bills that are under discussion in the parliamentary committee on Health have come up against the interests or demands or claims of one or the other side.
In the field of radiodiagnostics, doctors, technicians and owners of radiology centers pulled out knives. In the field of clinical laboratories, the quarrel focuses on who can lead and who cannot, with those involved also submitting memoranda expressing their own different positions.
The background for the bill regulating the operation of rehabilitation centers continues, since the decisions of the Parliament have caused strong reactions from some of those involved and at the same time disagreements have arisen regarding the bill on allogeneic transplants in Cyprus.
And there is more to come. Next week, the parliamentary committee on Health begins the debate on the bill that provides for the operation of university clinics, with the disagreements between those involved already known and the positions of the parties also being, for the time being, unclear.
The discussion in the Health Committee, "is really taking place with obstacles and we are trying to bring the various warring sides together so that we can lead the bills to the Plenary for voting", the chairman of the competent parliamentary committee, Efthymios Diplaros, told "F", while the Minister of Health Michalis Damianos, declares that "everyone must rise to the occasion", stressing that "there is no way that everyone will ever agree on everything".
"From the day I took office, I have forwarded to the Parliament a large number of bills concerning critical aspects of the Health sector. With the exception of the university clinics bill, which is in Parliament but has not yet started its discussion, some bills are already in the Plenary for voting, while for the rest their parliamentary debate has begun", Michalis Damianos told "F".
"In general, I would like to emphasize that it is not right for important legislative regulations to remain in limbo because there are individual disagreements. There will always be disagreements; But this should not be a brake on progress", he stressed and in conclusion said: "Each of us must carry out our work with responsibility and a cooperative spirit, for the good of the Health sector and, above all, of patients".
"What we have been seeing lately," said the chairman of the Health Committee, "is really very intense and we can certainly only do everything possible to pass soon all the legislation that the Health sector needs to function properly. Our message is also clear: We will make an effort through meetings with the various actors to find mutually acceptable solutions. Our decision, however, is to proceed with the bills because some things cannot be constantly and for years pending."
It is recalled that last week MPs, members of the competent parliamentary committee had spoken of "obsessions" that possess those involved in the field of Health but also of pressures that make the work of the Parliament difficult.
