Filenews 6 November 2025
The Federation of Cyprus Patients' Associations (OSAK) expresses strong dissatisfaction with the way in which the bill concerning the operation of Rehabilitation Centers was passed today by the House of Representatives.
As stated in a relevant announcement, "despite the documented positions and interventions submitted at all stages of the process, the final text of the law maintains the same distortions, legitimizes inequalities and does not serve the interest of patients and citizens in need of rehabilitation services".
"Maintaining the categorization of Centers into Category A and B, without scientific or qualitative criteria, institutionalizes discrimination, leads to a two-speed system and creates inequalities in access to services. Instead of promoting a single, fair and functionally effective framework, a logic of administrative privileges is maintained that weakens the concept of rehabilitation as a key pillar of health care," it added.
Equally unacceptable, OSAK continues, "is the provision that exempts some existing centers – those operating with a private hospital license – from the evaluation process, while other units are forced to meet new and strict conditions. Such selective exceptions negate any notion of equality before the law and meritocracy and form a framework of unequal treatment, which works to the detriment of the quality and safety of services."
"The transitional provision that imposes building requirements only on 'offices/clinics', leaving out private hospitals, exacerbates inequalities and maintains an unequal regulatory regime that affects the transparency and balance of the system," it says.
At the same time, it is noted that "OSAK had contacts with DIKO, but its positions were not accepted, since the amendments of DIKO that were accepted by the parliamentary committee on Health did not correct all the distortions that OSAK has been pointing out for a long time".
At the same time, it is added, "AKEL's amendments were those that reflected the positions of the Federation, and OSAK congratulates AKEL for the stance it took in the Plenary."
OSAK reminds that this morning, the light of day saw a letter that the Federation of Employers and Industrialists sent to all parliamentary parties expressing concerns and disagreements similar to the Patients' Federation.
OSAK emphasizes that, as it was finally passed, the law does not meet the real needs of patients, people with disabilities and the elderly, nor does it ensure the quality and continuity of care. "Instead of being a tool for progress, it traps a critical health sector in restrictions, inequalities and ambiguities that will directly affect the daily lives of thousands of citizens," he concludes.
