Filenews 13 February 2026 - by Marilena Panayi
The bill for the establishment of a national ambulance agency, which will not be independent but will operate under the Ministry of Health, was finally put up for discussion yesterday by the parliamentary committee on Health. A common point of contact is the fact that everyone supports the position for the removal of the ambulance service from the State Health Services Organization.
Now, OKYPY is changing course and does not insist on a postponement in order to present its own plan, declaring that it is ready to support the whole effort, but asking the state for financial compensation.
After all the stakeholders who participated in the meeting "welcomed" the start of the discussion, the first "but" came, which, in fact, caused intense concern among the MPs, since the operation of the National Agency, as part of the Ministry of Health and not as an independent Authority, had been the subject of intense discussions both inside and outside Parliament in the past.
The Health Insurance Organization, putting forward possible legal issues, expressed its concern about the possibility that it will not be possible to purchase these services and pay compensation to the "head of the Authority", i.e. the Ministry of Health, noting that, if various parameters are not taken into account, there is a high possibility that it will not be possible to provide these services to citizens through the General Health System. "We welcome the discussion of the bill, we want the specific health service to be regulated, because there is indeed a gap, however, this type of national bodies are subject to the state and a legal issue may arise as to whether the ambulance service will be a provider in the GHS since it will be part of the state," said the representative of the HIO, adding: "Could the HIO conclude a contract with the Ministry of Health? We have some concerns."
It is reported that the Ministry of Health disagrees with this concern, arguing that the bill covers the provision of ambulance services through the GHS and therefore the specific issue should not be raised for discussion. At the meeting, presenting the bill, a representative of the Ministry of Health explained the way in which the National Ambulance Agency will operate and the procedures that will be followed both for the coordination of all ambulances in Cyprus and for their licensing.
On the part of the trade unions, issues were raised regarding the employment status of ambulance crew members, since the transfer of the service to the Ministry of Health presupposes the transfer of all employees, civil servants and employees of the HIO to the Agency.
The executive director of OKYPY, Kypros Stavrides, informing the Parliament that the Organization will support the bill (despite its previous stance), raised, among other things, the issue of compensation for the expenses incurred and aimed at the development of the ambulance service in the previous five years. "I want to inform everyone that the Organization in the last five years has invested a lot of money, has opened stations, has hired staff, has implemented a software system, has accredited the service, has purchased ambulances, I want to say that it has done a lot. All this must be costed and compensated in order to be right and fair."
Mr. Stavridis stated, at the same time, that for the smooth operation of the new Agency, clear and measurable quality indicators must be defined, in order to ensure the level of pre-hospital health care services, to have support from an Interdisciplinary Team or Council, in which doctors also participate, as is currently the case under the management of OKYPY and to ensure full transparency in the routes of the ambulances.
On the part of organized patients, the position was once again expressed that the ambulances "would be more correct to be subject to an independent Authority that can be flexible, operate in a scientific way, be developed, equipped and staffed with the highest international standards without the obstacles and time-consuming procedures of the public sector".
The complaint of the head of the ambulance service
"Everyone buys a used ambulance from England"
The head of the ambulance service, Riana Konstantinou, was intense in her positions. The creation of "a National Ambulance Agency is something that should have been done ten years ago", he said and added: "The bill comes to put order in the parastate that exists today. Everyone today buys used ambulances from England and offers services and I say this because they invite us to take patients through their ambulances ourselves. We have an ambulance service, perhaps one of the most trained on the planet. This country has no other rescue corps and the State must support this service, as its citizens deserve."
Since the implementation of the GHS, Ms. Constantinou said, "the ambulance service has been loaded with the entire System and from 5,000 transfers we made until 2020 we have now reached 45,000 with the same staff. This affects the quality of the rescue. The role of rescue in this country is being set aside because we do not have time to cope. If you want, we can continue to do the taxis."
What does the bill provide?
The National Ambulance Agency will be responsible for the planning, organization, coordination and supervision of all relevant services since it will evaluate and certify the suitability and safety of all ambulances serving patients. At the same time, it will be responsible for the operation of an Accident and Emergency Management Center for coordination in emergency situations. In addition to the general coordination, planning, organization and supervision of ambulance services, it will also be responsible for the maintenance of three different registers: Register of Ambulance Service Providers, Register of Ambulances and Register of Rescuers. Registration in the registers is a prerequisite for the legal provision of services, while conditions for education, professional competence and compliance with approved protocols are set. The bill also gives the competent authority control and inspection powers, as well as the possibility of imposing sanctions in cases of violations.
The bill also provides for the operation of an Operational Call Coordination Center, through which calls will be managed and ambulances dispatched.
Also, the Agency will ensure the operation of an Accident and Emergency Management Center, with the aim of operational coordination of emergency pre-hospital care in cases of mass accidents and emergencies.
Finally, the establishment of an Advisory Committee for Emergency Prehospital Health Care is foreseen, with a purely advisory role.
Its composition includes representatives of state services, health professionals, as well as a representative of the Cyprus Federation of Patients' Associations (OSAK), institutionally ensuring the representation of patients.
